2012 Easter Egg Roll

This is a parody site. Would you prefer the more official but less informative Easter Egg Roll site?

 

2012 White House Easter Egg Roll

Welcome to the 2012 Easter Egg Roll, a White House tradition since 1878! This year's event will take place on Monday April 9, 2012. Last year we welcomed over 30,000 visitors from all 57 states.

The Easter Egg Roll will include activities outside, inside, and on top of the White House this year! Be sure to check back often for important updates!

 

 

Easter Egg Roll Ticket Lottery

White House Easter Egg Roll tickets will be distributed through an online lottery system, allowing guests from across the United States to participate.

Last year, the ticket lottery lasted only a few days and the public was given less than a week's notice beforehand. Thousands of people had their egg-rolling dreams dashed by the missed opportunity. Don't let that happen to you.

 

2012 Easter Egg Roll Entertainment Schedule

New for 2012:  Egg tossing and tennis on the White House roof; curvy slide down to the South Lawn; ball pit fun in the Oval Office; and an assortment of age-appropriate video games available on the Watch Floor of the Situation Room. Our Easter Egg Roll Schedule of Events will also include the usual Reading Stage and Music Stage set up outside where entertainers, artists, and some special guests will perform throughout the day.

 

2012 Easter Egg Roll Performers

This year's musical performers will be the beloved Bay City Rollers! The original Scottish boy-band from the 1970s will reunite for a one-time only concert. Known for their big hits "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night" and "Keep On Dancing", they are sure to delight not only the little ones, but their middle-aged moms as well!

 

Easter Egg Roll Brunch at the White House Mess

We will open up the White House Mess this year to our hungry Egg Roll participants. Our special brunch menu will please even our youngest guests. Be sure to take advantage of the rare opportunity to dine at the White House Mess.

 

 

Souvenir White House Eggs

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

Each year, the White House decorates thousands of hard-boiled eggs for the Easter Egg Roll. At the end of the day, these eggs are scooped up and thrown away. Wasteful!

This year, these discarded eggs will be 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 concludes, White House staff members and the Secret Service will gently toss the leftover eggs over the White House fence to the awaiting public.

 

Last Year's White House Easter Egg Roll

Due to the massive construction zone established for the White House tunnel system, we held the Easter Egg Roll inside the White House last year for the first time in history. The 2011 theme was "Let's Go Play Indoors!" Instead of the traditional "rolling of the eggs with a wooden spoon" outside on the lawn, we had 14,500 hard boiled eggs hidden all around three floors of the White House.

Here are some of the White House rooms that were open for the Easter Egg Roll:

 

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.
• President Barack Obama was the first President to hold the annual Easter Egg Roll indoors in 2011.