May Showers Bring International Events to DC 🌧️

Events List

Check out the following international embassy and cultural events happening from Monday, May 13^th - Sunday, May 19^th .

Monday, May 13^th, 2024

1. Lasting Legacies: A White House Celebration of AA & NHPI Heritage & History (12PM - 3:30PM) (FREE!) (Waitlist)

   • Description: Join us on May 13 for a community-wide Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration!

   • Host Organization: White House Initiative on AA and NHPIs

2. La Tempesta Perfetta - Book Presentation (5:30PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: Author Claudio Pagliara in conversation with Financial Times' Washington Bureau Chief James Politi

   • Host Organization: Italian Cultural Institute of Washington

3. Dancing in the Glory of Monsters Book Talk (7PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: In Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, renowned political activist and researcher Jason K. Stearns has written a compelling and deeply-reported narrative of how Congo became a failed state that collapsed into a war of retaliatory massacres.

   • Host Organization: DC International Affairs Book Club

Tuesday, May 14^th, 2024

1. A Discussion and Workshop with Carlos Moreno (9:30AM - 2PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Columbian urban planner Carlos Moreno will join us for a workshop and discussion on May 14th starting at 9:30am!

   • Host Organization: The School of Architecture and Planning

2.  Mexico after AMLO Lecture (2PM - 3PM) (FREE!) 🇲🇽 

   • Description: Join Hudson for a discussion of possible post-election scenarios in Mexico

   • Host Organization: Hudson Institute

3. Alliance Française Washington Annual Benefit (5:30PM - 9:30PM) ($275) 🇫🇷 

   • Description: You can stroll in the fragrant gardens, visit the mansion and its fabulous collections of French Decorative Arts after hours -without the usual crowds-, enjoy the new special exhibition connecting Hillwood to France, "Marjorie Merriweather Post's Paris," and, bien sûr, take photos and selfies and tag us!

   • Host Organization: Alliance Française de Washington, DC (AFDC)

4. Kate Myers for Excavations Book Talk (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: In this zippy and hilarious escape-read set on a Greek archeological site where the first Olympics took place, four incompatible women band together to make the discovery of a lifetime. Funny, edgy, escapist reading! Perfect for book clubs.

   • Host Organization: People’s Books

5. An Evening with Sara Kramer, Sarah Hymanson & Rose Previte for KISMET (7PM - 9PM) ($8.73 for general admission, $46.06 for signed copy of book) 📕 

   • Book Description: Join us for an evening of fun, delicious, healthy sweets & conversation with Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson to celebrate the release of their first cookbook “KISMET: BRIGHT, FRESH, VEGETABLE-LOVING RECIPES”.

   • Host Organization: Bold Fork Books

Wednesday, May 15^th, 2024

1. "From Folk to Baroque" with Celtic music duo Rakish Performance (12PM - 1PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: Using musical form and harmonic language as focal points, Rakish demonstrate the influence and overlap between dance music and airs from Britain and Ireland and art music or classical music from surrounding countries. The concert will include musical dance forms and tune types including Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes, and Airs, arranged from written collections to be performed on the fiddle and guitar. 

   • Host Organization: Library of Congress (LOC)

2.  Jewish American Heritage Concert (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!) (Standing room now only!) 🎵 

   • Description: Join us in the heart of our Nation’s Capital to honor Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) with an electrifying concert featuring the rich tapestry of traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe, Turkey, Cuba, South America, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

3. Conversations about AI: Cybersecurity and Digital Identity (6:30PM -9PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: This Second Edition Seminar series by ECUSA will focus on the various challenges and risks associated to the fast developing AI technology.

   • Host Organization: Cultural Office of Spain

4. French Cinémathèque: On the Wandering Paths Film Screening (8PM - 10PM) ($10.38 - $13.68) 📽️ 

   • Description: Pierre (Jean Dujardin of THE ARTIST), a well-known explorer and writer, is always looking for adventure. One drunken night, after scaling the front of a hotel, he falls several stories, leaving him in a deep coma. When he awakens, Pierre suffers from seizures and struggles to even walk. Seeking a path to recovery and against everyone’s advice, Pierre decides to walk through France.

   • Host Organization: Avalon Theatre

Thursday, May 16^th, 2024

1. Third Thursday (5PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 🎨 

   • Description: Visit America's first modern art museum for free during our extended hours on the Third Thursday of every month.

   • Host Organization: Dupont BID

2. Ambassador Insider Series: Ethiopia (6PM - 9PM) ($71.21 for general admission and $28.52 for foreign diplomats)

   • Description: Join us for an exclusive event, "Ambassador Insider Series: Ethiopia," where you'll learn about Ethiopia and meet interesting people.

   • Host Organization: The Washington Diplomat

3. Lecture | Kasuri with Lee Talbot (6:30PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 🇯🇵 

   • Description: Join us for a lecture on the origins and historical development of kasuri, a traditional Japanese textile technique.

   • Host Organization: Japan Information & Cultural Center (JICC)

4. An Evening in Kurdistan (7PM - 9:30PM) ($64)

   • Description: Tonight, you are invited to a special cultural evening on Kurdish soil with cultural music, food, drinks, art and more! Learn more about its land, history and culture in one fantastic evening. Join the official Ambassador (representative) and Kurdish diplomats for a special visit to their homeland without ever leaving the city. 

   • Host Organization: Embassy Experiences and Things To Do DC

5. Yoko Miwa Trio Performance (7PM - 8:30PM, 9PM-10:30PM) ($42) 🎵 

   • Description: Internationally acclaimed pianist/composer Yoko Miwa is one of the most powerful and compelling performers on the scene today. Her trio, with its remarkable telepathy and infectious energy, has brought audiences to their feet worldwide.

   • Host Organization: Blues Alley

Friday, May 17^th, 2024

1. Bike to Work Day with the Swiss Embassy (4PM - 7PM) (FREE!) 🚴 

   • Description: Join the Embassy of Switzerland for an afternoon celebrating DC’s Bike to Work Day and Swiss cycling culture!

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Switzerland

2. Fireside Chat: Simplicity & Balance with Dr. Syukuro Manabe (5PM - 6:30PM) (FREE!) 🇯🇵 

   • Description: Join us for a special fireside chat with Dr. Syukuro Manabe on his research and his motto of "simplicity & balance."

   • Host Organization: Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC)

3. The Annual Botstiber Lecture 2024 (6:30PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 🇦🇹 

   • Description: John Boyer: “Modern City-Making’ in Europe and America: Vienna and Chicago on the Threshold of the Twentieth Century”.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Austria

4. 3^rd Annual Porto Pianofest Gala in Washington D.C. (6PM - 9PM) ($103.22) 🎹 

   • Description: Don't miss out on this special occasion to enjoy some amazing music accompanied by Portuguese wine in a stunning setting. Tickets go fast!

   • Host Organization: Porto Pianofest

5. Music in the Meadow: Cumbia Heights Performance (7PM - 8:30PM) (Pay what you can!) 🎵 

   • Description: Join us for a spring evening concert in the National Arboretum's Ellipse Meadow on Friday, May 17th (rain date Sunday, May 19).

   • Host Organization: Friends of the National Arboretum

Saturday, May 18^th, 2024

1. D.C. Dragon Boat Festival (8:30AM - 5PM) (FREE!) 🛶 

   • Description: The DC Dragon Boat Festival is proud to return this spring for its 21st annual festival. We are looking forward to another great year and even more teams on the water. Looks for more details on the event schedule and race schedule as we get closer to race day.

   • Host Organization: Washington D.C. Boat Festival

2. 2024 Fiesta Asia Street Fair (11AM - 7PM) (FREE!) 🎉 

   • Description: Fiesta Asia Street Fair is happening on May 18th in front of the Capitol Hill featuring over 1000 performers+artisans+vendors for 8 hours!

   • Host Organization: Fiesta Asia

3. Kids Kino: New Tales of Franz Film Screening (6PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: The German Film Office presents "New Tales of Franz" as part of its “Kids Kino” film series. We recommend this film for kids ages 7+.

   • Host Organization: Goethe-Institut Washington D.C.

4. An Evening in Paris Celebration (7PM - 11PM) ($118.15+) 🇫🇷 

   • Description: Travel to the City of Light for an unforgettable evening of delicious food, wine and music. No plane ticket required.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of France/French-American Chamber of Commerce

5. Nino Marques and Lara Martins Performance (7PM - 10PM) ($161.90) 🎵 

   • Description: A celebration of poetry and literature through music.. Star soprano Lara Martins and brilliant pianist Nino Marques give a great performance.

   • Host Organization: The Embassy Series

Sunday, May 19^th, 2024

1. Museum Walk (11AM - 4PM) (FREE!) 🖼️ 

   • Description: Visit seven cultural institutions in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods during the annual Walk Weekend. This is for Sunday’s admission!

   • Host Organization: Dupont Kalorama Museums Consortium

2. Me: Shot Out of a Moving Canon—Black, Female, and the 1970s Lecture (2PM - 3PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Since 1980, Smith has been interviewing Americans through her project “On the Road: A Search for American Character,” which she eventually developed into a new form of theater. Delivered with segments of performance, these lectures will examine materials collected from these interviews over the course of Smith’s career.

   • Host Organization: National Gallery of Art

3. Jazz@Goethe with Sarah Marie Hughes and Tyler Leak Performance (2:30PM - 3:30PM) ($17.85) 🎵 

   • Description: The Jazz@Goethe series features saxophonist Sarah Marie Hughes and percussionist Tyler Leak.

   • Host Organization: Goethe-Institut Washington DC

Looking Ahead! 👀 

1. La Longue Marche Performance (Tuesday, May 21^st, 6PM - 10PM) ($20) 🎵 

   • Description: The French Embassy Theater Workshop is offering you a new play for its 3rd season!

   • Host Organization: Resources USA Inc and the French Embassy

2. Brazilian Concerts at the Bicentennial: Children’s Citizen Quintet Performance (Thursday, May 23^rd, 7:30PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: Orquestra Criança Cidadã (Children’s Citizen Orchestra) is a Brazilian social project that has been changing the lives of hundreds of children and teenagers through musical education.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Brazil and the Kennedy Center

3. Speaking of Memory: Reading the Classics in a Post-Modern World (Thursday May 23^rd, 7PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 🇬🇷 

   • Description: A very important and publicly debated problem is the role of the classics in helping us understand the world we live in today.  Two related issues are the phenomenon of collective memory and how it has been understood in the ancient and modern world, and the role of literature and the arts in preserving, critiquing, and transmitting our shared culture.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Greece

4. In Conversation: Laura Huertas Millán and Zoe Leonard Film Screening (Saturday, May 25^th, 2PM - 5PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: Join us for a screening and conversation between artists Laura Huertas Millán and Zoe Leonard about their practices, poetics, and strategies across photography and film. Exhibition curator Lynne Cooke will moderate.

   • Host Organization: National Gallery of Art

5. Brazilian Concerts at the Bicentennial: Hamilton de Holanda & Chris Potter Performance (Saturday, May 25th, 7:30PM - 9PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: Hamilton de Holanda is a Brazilian bandolinist and three-time Latin Grammy winner. Chris Potter is an American jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Choro music and jazz merge to create a fascinating blend of Brazilian and American musical traditions!

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Brazil and Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

Rate Issue No.65!

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