White House hosts over 30,000 people for first Easter egg roll in two years

The First Family of the United States hosted more than 30,000 people in Washington DC for the Easter egg roll, a White House tradition that was called off for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was initially dampened by rain but the hosts were undeterred.

“Egg-ucation” was the theme picked by First Lady Jill Biden for the White House gathering, using the Easter egg hunt and education as a pun. Jill Biden said that the South Lawn of the White House was turned into a school community because “education never stops.”

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The White House gates opened at around 7 AM, with the first of five waves of people streaming through. Many came prepared for the cold, damp weather with umbrellas, rain ponchos and plastic covers over baby strollers, according to reports from Associated Press.

Multiple celebrities were also seen roaming the White House lawns, some with their kids. As the crowd waited for President Joe Biden and the First Lady, two Easter bunnies were seen walking to the Blue Room balcony of the White House. The two bunnies were escorting Joe and Jill Biden for a meet and greet with the kids.

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Biden said it was “so special” to be able to gather this year after the pandemic forced the White House to cancel the 2020 and 2021 Easter egg rolls.

“It means so much to see and hear the children and all the families show up to be here today,” he said, citing their joy, laughter and occasional outbursts of “there’s the Easter bunny,” according to reports from Associated Press.

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After their remarks, the president and first lady went down to the lawn to watch as groups of children used wooden spoons to coax brightly dyed hard-boiled eggs across a patch of wet grass to the finish line.