Surprising Facts About the White House Easter Egg Roll
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If rolling colorful Easter eggs down the South Lawn of the White House lawn sounds like a fun way to spend a Monday afternoon to you, imagine being a six-year-old with a last-minute invite from the First Lady herself!
When Clara Tripp scored an invitation to the White House in 2014 to interview First Lady Michelle Obama, the first-grader never dreamed she’d end up with a second invitation to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, which, coincidentally, was happening on the same day. One of a handful of “kid reporters” invited to interview Mrs. Obama about the launch of her Let’s Move initiative, Clara and her mom, Suzanne Murray, were both stunned when at the end of the group exchange, the First Lady asked if the children wanted to join her for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll—right now.
“I had tried to get tickets via the lottery for years, but never got in,” Murray says. “So we were thrilled when Mrs. Obama pulled out a handful of tickets and said, ‘Surprise!’
Making their way across the lawn, Clara was taken by the number of activity stations beyond just the rolling of the eggs. “There were bands performing on different stages, Ariana Grande and Jim Carrey were there, and they even had a reading circle with President Obama,” says Clara, now 13 and mature enough to appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The year she attended there were also several fitness zones where kids could could try activities like yoga, basketball, or tennis. But there was plenty of Easter-themed fun, too. “You could line up for an egg hunt and egg decorating and of course, the actual egg roll, though that didn’t go so well for me,” recalls Clara.
It turns out the longstanding tradition of rolling an egg across a lawn with a giant wooden spoon in your hand is harder than it looks!
“It’s kind of like croquet except with an egg and it’s set up like a maze, so you have to stay within the confines while racing against other kids,” Murray says.
Related: The Complete History of the White House's Interior Design
Eggceptional beginnings
History is a little dicey on the exact origins of the White House Easter Egg Roll, but since at least the mid 1800s, administrations have celebrated the event on Easter Monday. Some historians credit First Lady Dolley Madison for being the first to invite the public to an Easter egg roll in the early 1800s, though at the time it was held on the west grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Others say children were rolling Easter eggs down that same lawn since the days of Abraham Lincoln. Either way, by the late 1870s, all that egg rolling had taken a toll on the landscape, prompting Congress to pass legislation restricting public use of the grounds, pretty much nixing the event altogether.
Just a couple of years later, President Rutherford B. Hayes reportedly missed the festivities so much he brought the event back, except this time, he wanted it held on the South Lawn of the White House, where first families typically celebrated events privately. Years later, the Nixons introduced competitive egg roll races to the day’s events, awakening the competitive spirit of the lucky few who were able to attend.
The Easter Egg Roll today
Today the White House Easter Egg Roll is one of the longest-running traditions in Washington, and scoring tickets is a coveted feat. Millions apply for the public lottery each year, but only about 30,000 receive timed tickets ensuring exactly two hours of fun, in part to keep huge crowds from forming. Each household is limited to one lottery application and only a handful of tickets. Attendees 13 and younger also receive gift bags with the White House Seal and souvenir eggs commemorating the event.
The 2020 White House Easter Egg Roll was canceled due to the lockdowns that occurred at around the same time, but this year’s event is already set for April 5, 2021 (For up-to-the-minute news on when the lottery will take place, follow @wheastereggroll on Twitter or check WhiteHouse.gov). If you’re lucky enough to attend, you’ll attend on a beautiful spring day, just like Murray and Clara did. “The lawn was bright green, the sky was bright blue, you could sense the magnitude of the event and how special it was just being in that setting,” Murray adds.
If you don’t attend, you can still get in on the fun by purchasing one of the commemorative Easter eggs that are sold online every year. Says Clara, “They’re really pretty and signed by the President and the First Lady!” When asked about her favorite part of the event, seeing the Easter bunny ranked pretty high for the then-six-year-old. “He comes out on the veranda with the President and First Lady, who give a little speech—it’s really cute!”
For more on the long history of this White House tradition, check out these highlights:
1889: President Benjamin Harrison is the first to allow music at the event, inviting the United States Marine Band to play while the children romped.
During World Wars I and II, food restrictions caused the White house to cancel the Easter Egg Roll.
1946-1952: President Harry Truman didn’t host an egg roll during his time in the White House, primarily due to conservation concerns and later due to construction on the South Lawn.
1969: The official White House Easter Bunny is first introduced. It was actually a member of First Lady Pat Nixon’s staff who put on the suit and greeted guests as they arrived on the South Lawn circular driveway.
1981: President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan introduce an egg hunt featuring wooden eggs signed by celebrities, making the commemorative White House Easter Egg Roll keepsakes official collectors’ items.
2009: An online ticket lottery is introduced in an effort to include children from all over America.
2020: The White House Easter Egg Roll is canceled due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
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