Photo: Cultural Tourism DC
	The National Asia Heritage Festival: Asia Street Fair returns for its sixth annual event May 21 in Washington, D.C.

Passport DC offers chance to travel world without visa, passport or jet lag

Washington DC,
© 2013 Group Tour Media
April 20, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. — May offers a chance to travel the world without suffering jet lag, needing a visa or passport or leaving the United States’ capitol.

In its fourth year, Passport DC is an chance to take in street festivals, open houses, embassy events, special performances during the month of May. The events explore the international community vital to the District of Columbia.

Among the important dates, the European Union’s 27-affiliated embassies open their doors for visits 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7 as part of Shortcut to Europe: European Union Embassies’ Open House. More than 30 embassies from Australia to Venezuela do likewise the following Saturday on May 14 as Cultural Tourism DC presents the Around the World Embassy Tour.

The sixth annual National Asia Heritage Festival: Fiesta Asia Street Fair is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 21 on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between Third and Sixth streets, and is held in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The activities include performances, demonstrations, food, displays, a marketplace and other events.

Also May 21 is the very kid-friendly Meridian International Children’s Festival, with activities 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Meridian International Center, 1630 Crescent Place NW. Admission  for the fifth annual event is free for ages 12 and younger and $10 for ages 13 and older.

	Photo: Don Tanguilig/Walter Woodward
	Trinidad & Tobago's U.S. Embassy is among 30 foreign embassies in Washington, D.C., taking part in Cultural Tourism DC's Around the World Embassy Tour on May 14.

The European Union event is in its fifth year, and is followed by Europe Week — a week-long celebration of Europe with events across the U.S. The events tie into Europe Day, which is May 9 and marks the signing of the Schuman Declaration in 1950 that laid the foundation for the European Union.

"The EU Embassies' open house, the single biggest celebration of the EU in the world, demonstrates the EU's motto of 'unity through diversity' by showcasing the range and richness of European society,” said Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, EU ambassador to the U.S.

The participating EU-affiliated embassies include the European Union, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The embassies taking part in the Around the World Embassy Tour include Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Micronesia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

For both May 7 and 14, free shuttle bus service is provided with stops at participating embassies and select Metro stations.

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