Trick-or-Treating on Embassy Row

Don't forget to visit the Irish Embassy, after all, the trick or treating tradition began in Ireland. (Credit: Betsy Spruill, Special to Metromix)

Trick-or-treating on Embassy Row remains a long-standing Halloween tradition in the District, not just for the young but more often for the young at heart. Surrounding this event are rumors of the Russian and French embassies treating all costume-adorned guests to a sampling of potent libations representative of their culture, such as Russian vodka or French champagne. Tall tales have long-since been dispelled, but Halloween fun on The Row remains strong.

Contrary to the rumors, all embassies who choose to participate seem to have one thing in common--they will be giving out candy, most likely of the same variety you'd get going from house to house in your neighborhood. The magic of the evening is not about what the embassies give out; it's the alluring opportunity to trick-or-treat on foreign soil. Many see this annual event as a cultural must in D.C.

Here are a few things to remember if you go: first, don't disappoint--wear a costume. Second, if you don't want to miss the good stuff, go early--most embassies close at 5 and some even at 4; the Halloween trick-or-treat traffic on The Row starts at 3:30. Last but not least, know who will be expecting trick-or-treaters; not all embassies take part in the sweet tooth ritual, so it helps to know to avoid the disappointment of rejection.

Lucky for you and your trusty plastic jack-o-lantern, we have already started scoping out the sweet spots on Embassy Row:

The Republic of Cape Verde
The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
The Republic of Croatia
Finland
Greece
The Vatican or Apostolic Nunciature, the Holy See
The Republic of Indonesia
Ireland
The Republic of Korea
Lesotho
The Republic of the Marshall Islands
Paraguay

These other embassies haven't made up their minds yet about whether or not they'll be participating, so check back often for updates:

The Republic of Cyprus
Peru
Madagascar
Luxembourg
Japan
The Republic of Haiti
Colombia
The Republic of Cameroon
Bolivia

A good way to map out your route is to go to the Embassy website www.embassy.org. They have a map of Embassy Row with links to the contact info of each embassy.