Since last year we'd been wanting to check out Embassy Day (last year we got to the location late and weren't able to enter the facility) and this year we finally made it! The EU Open House happens every year on the first Saturday after Europe Day (May 9), and France and Germany were sharing the same building once again, this time at the French Embassy on Reservoir Road NW.
Getting there was a bit tricky as it's a little far from Metro stops and parking is tight. Once there though, no tickets, no RSVP, just show up and walk through security. We arrived around 1 PM and the place was already packed. People everywhere, inside and outside, spread across the lawn and lining up at the food tents.
The French Embassy building itself is worth the visit. It's this big modernist marble building with a golden sculpture by the fountain out front. Inside, the main hall had a "Make It Iconic, Choose France" banner, a Lafayette Legacy exhibit about French-American history, and paintings all around, including a really nice Eiffel Tower piece behind the food counter where they were serving French pastries and wine. They also had a full cheese table with a spread of French cheeses. The adults in our group got way too excited about that one.
Germany had its own section inside. The highlight for us was the FIFA World Cup display with the actual 2014 match ball in a glass case and a giant oversized soccer ball. Down the hall, there was an auditorium playing France's 2018 World Cup winning games on a big screen. If your kids are into soccer at all, good luck getting them out of that room.
For the kids, they had craft tables with red and white checkered tablecloths (very French bistro), face painting, and a Zeiss microscope station where kids could look at samples on a real lab microscope with the image projected on a screen next to it.
Outside was where things got really fun. There was a military training area set up on the lawn with an obstacle course, tires to jump through, hoops, and sandbags. Next to that, another stand had actual military gear that kids could try on, fighter pilot helmets, bulletproof vests, the whole thing. And it wasn't just kids. A lot of the dads were getting in on it too, trying on helmets and posing for photos. It was pretty funny to watch.
The Michelin Man was making the rounds too, and kids were lining up to take photos. My daughter thought it was hilarious.
But honestly, the best part was outside. A live band was playing on a proper stage with a full sound system, and the kids were dancing and jumping around in front of it like it was their own private concert. Families were spread out on the grassy hillside eating food and just watching the chaos. It felt like a neighborhood festival, the kind of afternoon where you forget you're technically standing on French soil.
At some point the rain showed up and things got a little messy. People started packing under the tents and heading inside, and a few families called it a day. But it passed pretty quickly, and once it stopped, everyone went right back to what they were doing.