While the tradition of spring embassy open house tours goes back at least until the 1950s in Washington, what we now know officially as EU Open House is a much newer invention. Building on a push for public diplomacy beginning about eighteen years ago when members of European Parliament would host public days of cultural exchange in Brussels, the embassies in Washington now offer an annual Smörgåsbord of music, dance, food, exhibitions and more.
EU Open House returns in full force after being cancelled in 2020, going virtual in 2021, and having reduced capacity in 2022. Most (not all!) European embassies will be participating, with some in new venues, some co-locating, and one new partner embassy, Ukraine, opening the doors to Ukraine House (as it also did during Passport DC.)
A number of embassies are sharing space this year, making it easier to explore multiple countries with fewer stops. This is particularly helpful as event-sponsored shuttles are a thing of the past. “We used to sponsor 28 shuttles each year. Not only is that a lot of gas to go around the city but they used to get incredibly crowded,” Travis Smith, a spokesperson at the EU Delegation, which hosts the Open House, told Diplomatica. “Both because of a directive from Brussels, and for our own peace of mind, we stopped sponsoring the shuttles during the pandemic, and we’ve gotten very little push back.”
As always, driving is not recommended. Many of the EU embassies are near transit – Metro stops, Metro buses, and/or Circulators – and most EU embassies offer bike racks on or near their properties. EU Open House has also partnered with Capital Bikeshare. Last year’s scooter partnership won’t be repeated due this year due to low demand.
Here are some of the open houses to note:
The embassies of Austria and Slovakia, neighbors in the world and in Washington, will turn their International Circle cul-de-sac into an exploration of the Danube river, with festivities inside both embassies and in their shared drive.
After selling its larger-than-needed embassy to Vietnam in 2019, the Embassy of Belgium co-located last year at the EU Delegation. This year, they’ll be joining Luxembourg at the Netherlands’ sprawling embassy for a BeNeLux celebration. As the embassies say, “When three neighbors are best friends… they throw a party together!”
Estonia, whose building is under construction, will be exhibiting with the Ukrainians at Ukraine House in Kalorama.
The Embassy of Greece’s new exhibit features gorgeous photos of doors throughout the country; fitting as they opens theirs.
Poland will be hosting several famous explorers, who will be discussing their expeditions from the tops of the tallest mountains to across the widest of oceans. Their immediate neighbors on Sixteenth Street, the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain, and the Lithuanian Embassy, often are fan favorites, so plan to get their early. Last year, the Mexico Cultural Institute joined the festivities by opening their doors on EU Open House as well, and their gorgeous murals are worth popping in for.
Tips for the Day:
The EU has put together a comprensive guide to Open House, with a complete listing of who’s participating and a specially curated Google Map showing where each is located.
Taking transit? Load up your Metro card before you go.
Weather reports are calling for rain and thunderstorms on Saturday so be prepared!
Like Passport DC, it’s impossible to fully experience everything every embassy has to offer in the six-hour window of EU Open House. Stay tuned to Diplomatica for opportunities throughout the year to learn more about these properties, attend events, and more. And if there’s an embassy or residence you wanted to visit but couldn’t make this weekend, please let us know.