Inaugural three-day festival celebrates DC’s global culinary scene October 13-15, 2022
Washington, DC (September 7, 2022)—Events DC announced today a new celebration of food, culture and entertainment highlighting the diverse communities in the nation’s capital. The 2022 Events DC International City Food Festival will be three delicious days of events in partnership with the city’s diplomatic corps. Washington, DC has a long history as a nexus of global dialogue, offering locals and visitors access to a rich range of cultures—a legacy that initially inspired the weekend’s flagship event, the Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge. Built on the idea that food brings us all together, the iconic event is back this year, now complemented by a full weekend of celebrations, making culinary diplomacy accessible to all ages. Taking place on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly meetings and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings, International City offers a timely launch point to travel the globe to understand and honor other cultures, all in the heart of DC.
International City looks to showcase worldwide diplomacy through the universal lenses of food, drink, performance, fashion, culture and music. To highlight the urgency of understanding and peace, Events DC enlisted Kharkiv, Ukraine-based artist Olga Shtonda to create the festival’s key illustrations, graphics and artwork. Shtonda’s work combines textures, colors and patterns as she finds inspiration in nature amidst war in her home country and, in her own words, “hopes to make people smile.”
Full information about the festival and individual events can be found online at www.internationalcityfest.com.
Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge
Thursday, October 13 | 7:00pm
Smithsonian American Art Museum | 8th and G Streets NW, Washington, DC 20004
Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge, a beloved gathering of chefs, returns in 2022 as the foundation for the new International City. Forty embassy chefs, the most in the event’s 14-year history, will gather on Thursday, October 13 in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Kogod Courtyard to kick off the festival.
Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge is a longstanding, friendly competition between embassy chefs from around the world, during which participating embassies showcase the unique flavors of their home countries in a delicious, diplomatic culinary contest. With more than 30 embassies already registered to participate, the 2022 Challenge offers an international and immersive foodie experience only possible in Washington, DC. Confirmed embassies include:
- African Union
- Azerbaijan
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Cameroon
- China
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Georgia
- Guatemala
- Grenada
- Haiti
- Hungary
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Malawi
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Peru
- The Philippines
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
Competing chefs will showcase their culinary prowess, competing for the coveted Golden Pineapple trophy awarded to the winners of the People’s Choice Prize presented by Events DC (attendees vote for their favorite) and the Judges’ Choice Prize (voted on by a distinguished panel of invited judges). Additional awards will be presented, including the Best Beverage Award presented by PepsiCo.
Tickets for the 2022 Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge are $75 through September 18 and $95 thereafter. Tickets include all the global sips and bites provided plus live entertainment and activations throughout the evening. Tickets can be purchased at www.internationalcityfesttickets.com.
Imagery from previous Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge celebrations can be found here. All photos should be credited to Events DC.
Taste of Oktoberfest
Friday, October 14 | 4:00pm
Franklin Park | 1332 I St NW, Washington, DC, 20005
The iconic Oktoberfest is a world-renowned Bavarian folk festival held annually in Munich attracting more than six million people from around the world. Revelers flock to Bavaria in search of German beer, music and food. To honor and celebrate this longstanding tradition, Events DC is collaborating with the German-American Heritage Foundation and the German Embassy to bring a truly authentic taste of the legendary German festivities to DC, through a unique presentation of Taste of Oktoberfest.
Tickets for the 2022 Events DC Oktoberfest are $10. Tickets can be purchased at www.internationalcityfest.com.
Día de los Muertos, Food & Film in the Park
Saturday, October 15 | 12:00pm
Franklin Park | 1332 I St NW, Washington, DC, 20005
In advance of Día de los Muertos, audiences are invited to celebrate and learn about the holiday and its traditions through a family-friendly day of food, film and lively entertainment curated with the Embassy of Mexico. The day’s festivities will wrap up with an interactive showing of the Disney hit, Coco, in celebration of the film’s upcoming fifth anniversary, bringing a bit of the rich culture of Mexico to the streets of DC.
This event is open to all ages and free to attend, but registration is required and can be completed at www.internationalcityfesttickets.com.
Events DC has a longstanding commitment to celebrating the city’s international legacy through unique and innovative programs that bring people together. In 2021, organizers were nominated for three Capital Emmys. Among them, The Embassy Chef Challenge: Afghanistan, a short documentary exploring the power of cultural connection through food, won the award for Best Historical/Cultural Short Form Content. International City not only encourages culinary diplomacy, but also highlights the global achievements of the area’s awe-inspiring entertainers, musicians, dancers and singers from around the world who call Washington, DC home.
International City Food Festival proudly supports World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises around the globe. In 2022, World Central Kitchen has already responded to disasters in 29 countries on six continents. You can join Events DC in supporting their mission by adding a donation to your ticket purchase.
“Growing one of Events DC’s signature festivities, Embassy Chef Challenge, into the International City Food Festival is a great way to expand on its success and offer more to all of our District communities—local, national, and international,” said Events DC’s Interim President and CEO Samuel Thomas. “Our partnerships with local organizations and nearly 40 embassies this year will be a stunning celebration of all of the cultures that make this city such a wonderful destination for our community and visitors from around the region.”
Media Credentials: To apply for media credentials to cover any of the International City Food Festival events, please follow instructions on the festival website here and responses will be provided within the timeline listed. Please note, credentials are for working members of the press only.
The 2022 Events DC International City Food Festival is made possible with support from Alto, PepsiCo and Astound Business Solutions.
Social Media:
- Twitter: @TheEventsDC
- Instagram: @EventsDC
- Instagram: @InternationalCityFest
- Instagram: @EmbassyChefChallenge
- Facebook: /OfficialEventsDC/
Media Contact
Christy Goodman, Events DC
cgoodman@eventsdc.com
About Events DC
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, delivers premier event services and flexible venues across the nation's capital. Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District's hospitality and tourism economy that hosts more than 1.7 million visitors and generates more than $400 million annually in direct economic impact and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the RFK Stadium-Armory Campus (RFK Campus), including Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Festival Grounds at RFK Campus, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and the Skate Park at RFK Stadium. Stay current on the 190-acre RFK Campus Redevelopment Project at www.RFKFields.com. Events DC also built and serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. Events DC manages Gateway DC, R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and Entertainment & Sports Arena all conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.eventsdc.com and find us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Events DC), and Twitter (@TheEventsDC) — and on our new hub for live and on-demand event programming on GATHER by Events DC at www.gatherbyeventsdc.com.
About GATHER by Events DC
GATHER by Events DC delivers a fully integrated, experiential platform that provides a diverse array of entertainment and resources. Through livestream performances, virtual conferences and content categories to fit every guest, GATHER redefines how to convene audiences and provides meaningful and memorable experiences.
About the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard
The courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery is located in a National Historic Landmark Building in Washington, DC. One of the grandest interior event spaces in the city, it is equally beloved as an intimate place to have a cup of coffee or to meet a small group of friends.
The landscape design complements the texture and contemporary quality of the new glass canopy designed by Foster + Partners, while reflecting the material, character, and classical spirit of the historic buildings. A dynamic composition of marble planters appears to float alongside a scrim of water, which is allowed to traverse the entire length of the courtyard.
About Franklin Park
Originally established in 1832, Franklin Park reopened in September 2021 after an eagerly anticipated renovation. The new park includes an expanded and restored fountain plaza, a new children’s garden, ADA accessible sidewalks, enhanced lighting, conversational seating, engaging green space and a future restaurant pavilion. Operated by DowntownDC BID, Franklin Park is a destination for residents, workers and visitors in the heart of DC.
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