Living in the nation’s capital in October allows for a number of spooky season festivities! One of DC’s unique Halloween activities takes place on Embassy Row. Here, by Massachusetts Avenue, visitors go door-to-door for treats and tours of several embassies. 

While it’s assumed that trick or treating has to occur in the dark of night, trick or treating at the embassies comes prior to nightfall, taking place in the afternoon. Even though this may come as a surprise to many, or could even be considered an “inauthentic” trick or treating experience, this leaves time to pursue later Halloween plans and hype up the overall spooky experience. 

The early start is because many of the people at these embassies are devoting their nights to either trick or treating themselves, or having a series of other events going on. For instance, this year Halloween fell during Diwali, which prevented a multitude of embassies like India and Sri Lanka from engaging in Halloween festivities as they were instead closed in observance of the Hindu holiday. 

Fortunately, seven embassies participated in the tradition this year! This included the embassies of Belize, Greece, Paraguay, Portugal, Lesotho, Slovenia, and Indonesia. To add even more of a special flavor, embassies have been known to pass out both American candies and traditional treats from their home countries. 

Many embassies offer indoor tours during this event as well, creating a unique experience which allows a range of cultures to be shared with one another, and is open to us, the public! This adds a whole new dimension to common fall festivities, with each embassy showcasing its own decoration from common Halloween motifs to displays of each country’s heritage. 

So, if you’re interested in attending this annual tradition blending culture and festivity, I urge you to pay Embassy Row a visit and kick off Halloween a couple of hours early next year! •