Appropriate age groups for this Easter celebration or activity:
Preschool and Younger

Description of Easter celebration or activity:
The Annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House is a wonderful tradition. The original site of the Easter Monday Egg Roll was the grounds of the United States Capitol. By the mid 1870s, the egg rolling activities on the West Terraces had gained notoriety as the children turned the Capitol grounds into their Easter Monday playground. The first egg rolls, largely family affairs, seem to have been held during the administration of President Andrew Johnson. Youngsters of the President's family dyed eggs on Sunday for the Monday rolling, which the First Lady would watch from the South Portico. Although small groups of egg rollers were reported on the White House grounds under the presidency of General Ulysses S. Grant, the majority of egg rolling activity and all day picnics took place at the Capitol. The workers and tourists watched in fascination as the children rolled both their hard boiled eggs and themselves down the lush green hills.

President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, officially opened the White House grounds to the children of the area for egg rolling that Easter Monday. Successive Presidents continued the tradition, and the event has been held on the South Lawn ever since. The event has been canceled on occasion only because of poor weather conditions and during World War I and World War II. During the war years egg rollers were spotted on the grounds surrounding the Washington Monument, at the National Zoo, and even returning to the grounds surrounding the Capitol!

Traditionally, Administration officials participate in story telling with the children during the Easter festivities.

Setting up and preparing for this celebration or activity:
On Monday, April 13, the traditional Easter Egg Roll takes place on the White House South Lawn from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Egg Roll and Egg Hunt are for children between the ages of three and six, accompanied by at least one adult. Other family members are permitted, as long as one person is age three to six. This is a public event, and no invitations are issued.

Free, timed tickets are distributed by the National Park Service on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person, even the smallest child, requires a ticket to enter the South Lawn. Ticket distribution begins about 7 a.m. at the Visitor Pavilion on the Ellipse (the park area south of the White House), and continues until all tickets are gone. One person can request up to four tickets (new this year). No advance tickets are available. It should not be necessary to spend much time in line and it is not necessary to line up before 7 a.m. For the latest information regarding this year's White House Easter Egg Roll, visit the White House web site.