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International Embassy and Cultural Events in Washington DC (February 27th - March 5th)

Embassy Life in DC Newsletter #2

Author

Nathaniel Burola
February 27, 2023

A Quick Thank You!

First of all, thank you for all those that started following the Embassy Life in DC newsletter! It truly means a lot that even for the first week of publishing events through the platform, I ended up getting 8 new subscribers! I hope the information below assists you in planning out your month of March and the tail-end of February with all the cool international events in Washington DC.

The Previous Week in Review (February 20th - February 26th)

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler: Mardi Gras Celebration

I attended the Mardi Gras celebration held through the International Club of DC at The Ven Embassy Row hotel last week which was amazing! Unfortunately, the Red Line at Union Station ended up having issues which resulted in a late arrival to the event. It started at 7:00PM with a rush of people eager to tear up the dance floor with an amazing pair of instructors that were teaching people how to swing dance. I believe said pair were actually a competitive dancing couple in the arenas of swing dancing and other forms as well. They combined a jovial sense of humor to help break the ice for strangers to get close to their dance partners and dance the night away!

By the time I arrived at 7:30PM, the crowd was already festive in the basement art gallery of The Ven with the Foggy Bottom Whomp-Stompers band playing a New Orleans jazz theme in the background. Packed like sardines in a can, it was an awkward but fun mix of people trying to learn the basics of counting in steps of four to complicated moves that involved spinning your partner with centrifugal force. Eventually, by the time 8:00PM arrived the dance lessons were over but that is when the party truly began.

There was a separate adjacent room where tired dancers could grab either a complementary drink of champagne if they had bought the 7:00PM ticket or drinks at the bar. I ended up meeting some truly fascinating individuals that had amazing life stories. There was a doctor in the U.S. Navy who was in town on vacation from New York and had lived in U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan and Naples, Italy for years at a time. On the other hand, a couple who had spent 7 years in Germany had recently returned to DC, and were enjoying the ambience of the city in winter.

Of course, I also danced the night away with strangers who looked sullen at the dance floor with envy since they had no dance partners. I will not lie and say I was the best dance partner, however, if you stick to the basics you can definitely have enough fun. Check out The Ven Embassy Row Hotel and the Foggy Bottom Whomp-Stompers band if curious.

The Ven at Embassy Row Hotel where a lot of festivities end up taking place (The Ven Embassy Row, 2023)

This Week in Review (February 27th - March 5th)

There are a ton of both cultural and embassy events this week coming through! Incorporating some feedback from my fellow users, I will now be incorporating the following into the events breakdown:

  • Prices of the paid events instead of ($$$) which meant they were not free.

  • Highlighted text representing the sources of the websites (International Club of DC, Things To Do DC, and Eventbrite).

  • Whether or not the events were sold out or not (at the time of publishing this newsletter article).

Just as a reminder, the highlighted colors will be for the following sources of info:

  • International Club of DC = Orange Highlight

  • Things To Do DC = Green Highlight

  • Eventbrite = Red Highlight

Monday, February 27th, 2023

  • I could not find anything ☹️ 

Tuesday, February 28th, 2023

  1. Filmfest DC Series: The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) (FREE!) (SOLD OUT) 

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

  1. A Family's Story in Nazi Europe: A Conversation with Géraldine Schwarz (FREE!)

  2. Assessing the Russia-Ukraine War GWU Panel (FREE!)

  3. To Catch a Dictator by Reed Brody with Corrine Dufka (FREE!)

  4. FESTIVAL PASSES: D.C. Independent Film Festival March 1-5, 2023 ($45 - $105)

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

  1. India Giving Day (IGD) (FREE!)

  2. Evening at the Embassy of Georgia ($75)

  3. Open Borders Art Exhibition (FREE!) (SOLD OUT!)

  4. The 1948 Flooding of Vanport, Oregon: Legacies of Disaster and Displacement (FREE!) 

  5. Tango Classes at the Embassy of Uruguay ($75) 

  6. FESTIVAL PASSES: D.C. Independent Film Festival March 1-5, 2023 ($45 - $105)

Friday, March 3rd, 2023

  1. Crafting a Better Future: The Renwick 50th Anniversary Symposium (FREE!)

  2. Evening at the Embassy of Uzbekistan ($64)

  3. Embassy of Latvia Evening of Latvian Culture and Dinner Reception ($95) (SOLD OUT!) 

Saturday, March 4th, 2023

  1. Tour of the US Capitol (SOLD OUT!)

  2. Tours in French at the National Museum of African Art (FREE!) 

  3. Ghana Independence: A Day in Accra ($0 - $50)

  4. Sweethearts and Patriots 2023 (British Embassy) (SOLD OUT) ($125 - $175) 

  5. The Kente Ball Ghana (FREE!) 

Sunday, March 5th, 2023

Finishing Remarks

That appears to be the whole spectrum of interesting events happening this week with both free and paid events. The embassy events are always selling like hot cakes for an analogy, however, if you want to head over to Georgia or Uzbekistan tickets are still available. As always, if you wish to see the whole Google Calendar, here is the link:https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=ZW1iYXNzeWxpZmVpbmRjQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ 

Sincerely,

Embassy Life at DC Team

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