CITY GUIDE
Washington, D.C.
Around the
World
A monthlong event fetes
cultures from near and far
During May, Passport DC enables globetrotters to book many miles without ever leaving
the District. This annual celebration, now in
its fifth year, showcases Washington’s many
global flavors in their best multicultural light.
Highlights of the monthlong event include
an Around the World Embassy Tour on May 5
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which more than
35 diplomatic outposts welcome visitors into
their often off-limits spaces. Some embassies
serve food and drink native to their countries,
while others display dance, music and art
from home. Think capoeira from Brazil, henna
demos from India, steel drums from Trinidad
For additional event, attraction,
restaurant and hotel information,
go to arrivecityguides.com
and Tobago and regal garb to try on from Saudi
Arabia. Free shuttles connect the three major
corridors—Massachusetts Avenue, Connecti-
cut Avenue and 16th Street N. W.
May 6, the Meridian International Center
hosts the International Children’s Festival, an
educational escape for the entire family, and
May 12 puts EU nations in the spotlight during
the European Union Embassies’ Open House.
May 19 the National Asia Heritage Foundation hosts a vibrant street fair on Pennsylvania
Avenue N. W., between Third and Sixth streets.
Other D.C. venues get in on the May celebration, too, such as the National Museum of
Women in the Arts, which mounts works by
women from around the globe. passportdc.org.
Reels Get Real
For the 10th year,
Silver Spring, Md.,
becomes a mecca
for the arts dur-
ing a weeklong
event described
as “nonfiction nir-
vana” by Variety
and the “preemi-
nent documentary
festival in the U.S.”
by Screen Interna-
tional. June 18–24,
Silverdocs screens
spectacular docu-
mentaries that
represent filmmak-
ers and subjects
from more than
60 countries.
The seven-day
film festival, which
also hosts a five-day concurrent
conference, takes
place at several
venues in downtown Silver Spring,
including the AFI
Silver Theatre.
Each year the Silverdocs Charles
Guggenheim Symposium honors
powerful filmmakers (past winners
include Spike Lee
and Martin Scors-ese). Acclaimed
films screened in
recent years, 14 of
which were nominated for Academy
Awards, have
included
Freako-nomics, The Cove,
The Swell Season
and Waiting for
Superman.
silverdocs.com.
ave
Date
the
MOUNT VERNON, VA.
Spring Wine
Festival and
Sunset Tour
May 18–20
Sip wine from 16 Virginia wineries and hear
live jazz on the riverside
la wn where George and
Martha Washington
once strolled. Advance
ticket purchase ($35)
is recommended.
mountvernon.org
AROUND TO WN
Memorial Day
Weekend
May 27
Washington honors
veterans with a free
concert, sho wcasing
the National Symphony
Orchestra. kennedy-
center.org/nso
AROUND TOWN
Memorial Day
Happenings
May 28
Citywide wreath-layings
take place at sites such
as Arlington National
Cemetery and the Viet-
nam Veterans Memorial,
while a parade marches
along Constitution
Avenue. kennedy-center.
org/nso
PENN QUARTER
Mr. Burns, A
Post-Electric
Play
May 28–July 1
Woolly Mammoth The-
atre Company stages
Anne Washburn’s vision
of post-apocalyptic
America, where Arma-
geddon has struck and
nostalgia remains for a
lost pop culture. Featur-
ing music by Obie Award
winner Michael Fried-
man. woollymammoth.net
NATIONAL MALL
Smithsonian
Folklife Festival
June 27–July 1
and July 4–8
A tent-draped mall
buzzes with cultural
traditions imported
from around the world.
The Folklife Festival
brings to the capital
global food, music,
dance, crafts, cooking
demos and storytelling
sessions. festival.si.edu
