WASHINGTON – The President and First Lady announced today that the South Lawn of the White House will be opened up for children 13 years and younger and their families on Monday, March 28th for the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll. This will be the final Easter Egg Roll of the Obama Administration, and will feature live music, sport courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. In honor of the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative, this year's event will also include the first-ever White House Fun Run.
TICKETS
White House Easter Egg Roll tickets can be requested through an online lottery which opens today, Friday, February 12, at 12:00 PM EST and closes on Wednesday, February 17, at 12:00 PM EST. Winners will be notified at a later date; tickets are free of charge and cannot be sold. To enter the lottery, please visit www.recreation.gov.
THEME
To honor the final Easter Egg Roll of the Obama Administration, this year's theme will be "Let's Celebrate," and will feature aspects of First Lady Michelle Obama's initiatives, as well as the contributions the Obama Administration has made to the Easter Egg Roll.
FUN RUN
In honor of the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative, this year's event will also include the first-ever White House Fun Run.
SOUVENIR EGGS
This year's White House Easter Egg Roll features five souvenir eggs, designed by graphic designer and blogger Joy Cho. The collection features four colored eggs with stamped signatures of the President and First Lady on the back, and one gold "Bo and Sunny" egg, with stamped "signatures" and "paw prints" of Bo and Sunny on the back.
The National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of America's national parks, produces and sells the commemorative White House Easter eggs. Each child 13 years and younger who attends the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn, which sits on President's Park, will also receive a souvenir egg.
To place your order for the full collection of 2016 White House Easter Egg (all 5 eggs), please visit easter.nationalparks.org.
2016 SOUVENIR POSTER DESIGN CONTEST
The White House invites all elementary and middle school students to submit original artwork related to this year's theme for the 2016 Easter Egg Roll Design Contest. The First Lady will select the winning designs, which will be used as a part of the White House 2016 Easter Egg Roll program and souvenir poster.
Submissions for the contest will be accepted starting today, Friday February 12th, and will close on Monday, February 22nd, at 12:00 PM EST. Designs should be uploaded to www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll. Artwork should reflect this year's theme. Please note submissions may be made public during the selection process.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For the most up-to-date information on the Easter Egg Roll and other public events at the White House, please visit www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll. Media details will be released in the coming weeks.
Barack Obama, Press Release - White House Announces 2016 Easter Egg Roll Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/323290