The ticket lottery for the 2015 Easter Egg Roll is now closed. Lucky winners should hop on over to that other White House website for the latest and most up-to-date information.

 

Easter Egg Roll - Monday, April 6, 2015

Every year on Easter Monday, the White House hosts the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. The 2015 White House Easter Egg Roll will be held on Monday April 6, 2015. More than 35,000 people will join us for activities outside, inside, and on top of the White House. Our Egg Roll theme is "What goes around comes around".

 

Our Easter Egg Roll Schedule of Events includes the storytime stage, cooking stage, egg dying, yoga garden and music stage set up outside where entertainers, artists, and some special guests perform throughout the day. Other fun activities include: egg tossing and tennis on the White House roof; curvy slide down to the South Lawn; ball pit fun in the Oval Office; Easter fun activities throughout the White House; and an assortment of age-appropriate video games available on the Watch Floor of the Situation Room.

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Photo Gallery

 

 

Second Chance for Easter Egg Roll Tickets

The White House receives requests for over 300,000 tickets every year. Because of space and time constraints, only 35,000 tickets are awarded. As the most open and accessible administration in history, we wish we could have every child participate in this memorable event. But we can't.

In 2008, the President campaigned on the idea of HOPE. And in office, he continues that dream by offering the American People a second chance for tickets. Click on the button to the right to find out how.

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Performers

Rave reviews over the choice of our musical performers: the beloved Bay City Rollers! The original Scottish boy-band from the 1970s will once again reunite for our big event. Known for their big hit "Saturday Night", they are sure to delight not only the little ones, but their middle-aged moms as well! Below is a screen shot from our Rockin' Egg Roll Stage featuring the beloved Bay City Rollers.

 

 

Souvenir White House Eggs

Due to the distressed economy, we offer a common-sense alternative to the traditional pricey wooden souvenir eggs for sale by the National Park Foundation.

In the past, the White House decorated thousands of hard-boiled eggs for the Easter Egg Roll. At the end of the day, these eggs were scooped up and thrown away. Wasteful!

Now, these discarded eggs are made available to the general public on a first-come first-served basis. Sure they may be chipped and perishable, but they are free! After the event concluded, White House staff members and the Secret Service gently tossed the leftover eggs over the White House fence.

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Costume Characters

The White House chooses costume characters that reflect the importance of family values and is proud that the entire cast of "Family Guy" takes part each year in our Easter Egg Roll. These beloved characters wander around the White House lawn passing out lots of candy and soft drinks. Giggity!

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Map of Activities

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Brunch at the White House Mess

We open up the White House Mess each year to our hungry Egg Roll participants. Our special brunch menu pleases even our youngest guests. We are glad that many Easter Egg rollers take advantage of this rare opportunity to dine at the White House Mess.

 

 

CONTINUITY OF EASTER PLAN:   What Happens if it Rains?

In 2001, the White House Easter Egg Roll was cancelled due to rain. All ten thousand freshly-dyed eggs were donated to the D.C. Central Kitchen and 40,000 kids and parents were left disappointed.

This year, the White House National Continuity Coordinator established a "Continuity of Egg Roll Plan" (COEP) to ensure that the National Essential Functions of the Easter Egg Roll continue in the event of inclement weather.

 

EGGCON Levels

The Easter Egg Roll Readiness Conditions (EGGCON) system establishes executive branch readiness levels based on possible weather-related threats to the White House Easter Egg Roll. The President sets the EGGCON level based on advice from the National Weather Service.

 

READINESS	WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL CONTINUITY PLAN
EGGCON 4	SUNNY:  Egg Roll volunteers report to their assigned location on the South Lawn.
EGGCON 3	OVERCAST:   Egg Roll Advance Relocation Teams “warm up” the alternate Egg Roll site. Ensure that alternate facilities are prepared to receive Egg Roll attendees if necessary. Track Easter Egg Roll bunny location.
EGGCON 2	DRIZZLING:  Deployment of 50-75% of Emergency Relocation Group Easter Egg Roll staff to alternate location. Establish their ability to perform the White House Easter Egg Roll's essential functions in the event of a downpour.
EGGCON 1	SUSTAINED DOWNPOUR:  Full relocation of Easter Egg Roll to alternate site. Volunteers and guests escorted to the underground entrance to the White House Tunnel System to board trains to the secret Egg Roll relocation site.

Fun fact:  The White House National Continuity Coordinator is also responsible for the White House Continuity of Government plan.

 

 

White House Easter Egg Roll 2016 - The Last Egg Roll of the Obama Administration

The 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll will be held on Monday March 28, 2016. Details regarding the 2016 Easter Egg Roll lottery will be announced in early 2016.

 

 

Easter Egg Roll on Whitehouse.Gov - Through the Years

Take a hop back in time and view the Easter Egg Roll pages from whitehouse.gov from 1993-2010.

Easter 1993	Easter 1994	Easter 1995
Easter 1996	Easter 1997	Easter 1998
Easter 1999	Easter 2000	Easter 2001 - RAINED OUT
Easter 2002	Easter 2003	Easter 2004
Easter 2005	Easter 2006	Easter 2007
Easter 2008	Easter 2009	Easter 2010

 

 

History of the White House Easter Egg Roll

• The Easter Egg Roll is a White House tradition dating back to 1878 and President Rutherford B. Hayes, but there are records of informal egg rolling events as early as Abraham Lincoln’s administration.
• After the Civil War, egg rolling often took place on the Capitol building’s grounds. But by 1876, Congressmen grew tired of the torn up grounds and rowdy crowds and passed a law prohibiting the use of the Capitol Grounds as a play area.
• On Easter day in 1878, when the ban on egg rolling at the Capitol went into effect, some claim that President Hayes saw tearful children while riding by the Capitol Grounds in his carriage and invited them to play on the White House lawn.
• By 1899, the White House Easter Egg Roll had become quite popular, with over 8,000 people in attendance. This year, over 30,000 were invited to attend the event.
• The Easter Egg Roll has been held at the White House every year except during World War I, World War II and the Truman Renovation of the White House, when it was moved to other Washington locations or cancelled.
• President Ronald Reagan was the first President to hide autographed eggs for children to find in the Egg Hunt.
• President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were the first to include the White House Easter Bunny in the festivities.
• President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush were the first to affix the signature of the President and First Lady to the commemorative egg.
• First Lady Grace Coolidge was known for her love of pets, but none were more famous than her pet raccoon, Rebecca, who made an appearance at the White House Easter Egg Roll in the 1920’s.

 

 

Fun Facts for the White House Easter Egg Roll

Ticketing

• At least one family from all 50 states is successful each year in the public lottery.
• About 3,000 tickets are distributed to public schools in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
• Over 4,000 tickets are distributed to military families.
• The 2015 White House Easter Egg Roll tickets will also be distributed via an online lottery

Eggs

• The souvenir White House wooden eggs included the stamped signatures of the President and First Lady.
• The wooden eggs were produced through a process of wood turning and barrel dying. They were made in the US from FSC-certified, US hardwood.
• The souvenir wooden eggs were given to children 12 and younger at the event.
• The White House official souvenir eggs were also for sale online
• A total of 83,000 souvenir wooden eggs were produced for last year’s event.
• 14,500 hard-boiled and dyed eggs were used between the egg roll and the egg hunt.
• 4,500 boiled white eggs were decorated at the Egg Dying station throughout the course of the day.
• “Chirping eggs” were available for visually impaired children participating in the Egg Roll and Egg Hunt.

Healthy Activities

• An Easter egg hunt & the traditional Easter egg roll
• Rockin’ Egg Roll Stage - Live musical performances for all ages.
• Storytime Stage - Celebrities bring books to life.
• Hop To It! - An instructional dance party on the South Lawn! Get up and go jump rope, hula hoop, dance and more.
• Eggtivity Zone Obstacle Course - A series of obstacles and drills, including soccer, football and baseball obstacle courses.
• Basketball and Tennis- Get hands-on training from basketball and tennis pros on the President’s court!
• Yoga Garden- Come try yoga with professional instructors.
• Eggspress Yourself - An arts and crafts workshop filled with egg dying, egg decorating, face painting and more.
• Play with your Food - Kids’ Kitchen, Make-your-own Garden, Family Farmer’s Market, Buzzing about Bees, and more led by the White House chefs and celebrity guest chefs. This activity center is built around the White House Kitchen Garden.

Easter Bunny and Ceremony

• The First Lady was the official host of the White House Easter Egg Roll.
• The event cannot officially be called the White House Easter Egg Roll until the opening ceremony, when the Easter Bunny makes an appearance.

Past Easter Egg Roll Performers, Special guests, and Entertainment

• Jordin Sparks, Austin Mahone, Coco Jones, Sesame Street, and The Wanted performed on the Rockin’ Egg Roll Stage. Jessica Sanchez sang the National Anthem.
• Reading on the Storytime Stage: NASCAR’s Danica Patrick, Minnesota Viking Adrian Peterson, Elmo, Abby, Gordon and Rosita from Sesame Street, the full cast of Super Sprowtz, The Wanted, and actress Quvenzhané Wallis.

Sustainability

• All goody bags were recyclable and were made from recycled materials.
• The packaging of the eggs, made from recyclable paperboard, was designed to minimize waste and environmental impact.
• The wooden souvenir eggs were made in the US from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - certified US hardwood.
• 90 trash bins and 90 recycling bins were placed throughout the South Lawn and Ellipse.

Easter Egg Roll Volunteers

• 10 professional American Sign Language interpreters volunteered their time for the event. There were also 6 nurses and 2 physicians from George Washington University.
• The White House Easter Egg Roll was made possible by the hard work of close to 1,200 volunteers.
• All volunteers attended at least one training session and some traveled from as far away as Germany to be part of last year’s event.
• Many volunteers arrived for their shifts as early as 5:00 AM to help get the Easter Egg Roll rolling.

Fun in Numbers

• The Egg Roll uses 72 wooden spoons and 8 whistles
• The event incorporates almost 60 volunteer face painters
• 2,000 eggs are used to provide breakfast for the volunteers