Easter Egg Roll at the White House Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Here’s a look at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Facts

The White House Easter Egg Roll is held the Monday after Easter on the South Lawn.

For the egg roll race, kids push the eggs through the grass with spoons.

The event is open to children 13 and younger, and their families.

Timeline

1870s – The Monday after Easter children and families gather on the grounds of the US Capitol to roll hard-boiled eggs on the lawn.

1876 – Congress approves the Turf Protection Act to protect the grounds of the Capitol from damage.

1878 – President Rutherford B. Hayes hosts the first White House Easter Egg Roll.

1953 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower revives the Easter egg roll. It was suspended in 1942 because of World War II and later, a White House renovation.

1969 – First Lady Pat Nixon introduces the White House Easter Bunny for the first time.

1985 – Nancy Reagan personally invites a young girl, Jennifer Ledbetter, to the Easter egg roll after a Reagan aide told her she was unwelcome because she supported Walter Mondale.

2001 – The roll is canceled for the first time since 1984 because of rain.

2009 – For the first time, an online lottery for tickets is held so that children from around the country have an opportunity to attend.

2020 and 2021 – The White House Easter Egg Roll is canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

April 18, 2022 – The roll takes place after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak.

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