Every year, the South Lawn of the White House transforms into a colorful playground for families, children and Easter fun during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This spring, senior Magnolia Miller was one of the people who went.

“I got an ad for [the egg roll] in my junk email at C9 sometime in February. I thought it was a scam at first, but I thought it would be cool to go to the White House, so I entered it anyway,” Miller said. “I put in five tickets for my family, and then about a month later, I got an email back with a link to all my tickets and a congratulation letter. I didn’t think it was real, but then we researched and found out that it was real. I was extremely excited because not everyone gets to say that they’ve been to the White House, especially the South lawn.”

This tradition started back in 1878, when President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House grounds to children after a previous ban on egg rolling at the Capitol. Each year, thousands of guests from across the country win tickets through an online lottery to take part in the festivities. 

Activities at the event include live music, arts and crafts stations, a reading nook and the main event of the day, the egg roll races. Many people volunteer to work the event and help the kids as they roll their eggs past the finish line. While the kids are enjoying the many games they have set up, families enjoy a day filled with laughter and learning.

“They had the lines going through the Eclipse Lawn, and then once you pass security with Secret Service, then you get to go on the actual line to get into the South Lawn,” Miller said. “Even though there were 7,000 people per group, it was still really organized. They had a lot of photo opportunities with the White House in the back and there were a bunch of things to do. Even if you didn’t want to do anything, you could just stand and look at the White House, and that was just as fun.
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For many families, attending the White House Easter Egg Roll is a once-in-a-lifetime memory. 

“[My favorite thing was] probably just being there. It was really cool. We got to see the chief usher, who meal preps for the President,” Miller said. “It was super fun, just being close to the White House. It’s so much more beautiful in person.”