The South Lawn of the White House was buzzing with excitement on Monday (April 21) as families gathered for the 147th edition of the White House Easter Egg Roll, a cherished American tradition dating back to 1878.

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US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll with almost 30,000 eggs, even as egg prices remain exorbitant.

Children under the age of 13, selected through a national lottery, joined President Trump, the First Lady Melania, and White House staff for a festive morning filled with games, music, and patriotic flair.

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The event this year includes corporate sponsorships, a departure from the sponsorship by the American Egg Board previously. The egg board used to sponsor the event to avoid having corporate sponsors on the White House grounds.
Sponsors who paid $200,000 received a “custom 30’x30’ branded activation” as well as four tickets to the WHEER brunch with Melania Trump and a choice of a meet and greet or a tour of the White House, reported CBS News. Sponsorship packages were available for $125,000 and $75,000.
Several companies, including Big Tech firms like Amazon, YouTube, and Meta, are sponsoring several event stations. 

The theme of this year’s egg roll acknowledges the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S., with children signing mini versions of the Declaration of Independence and dressing up as the Founding Fathers.
Winners of a lottery in all 56 states and territories and children with political connections attend the event.
Trump said that as many as 42,000 people were expected at the White House throughout the day. 

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“Easter is special, and it’s one of our favourite days. It’s one of our favourite periods of time. We’re honouring Jesus Christ, and we’re going to honour Jesus Christ very powerfully throughout our lives,” said Trump. 
“We're bringing religion back in America. We’re bringing a lot of things back, but religion is coming back to America.”

The White House Easter Egg Roll officially began in 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the South Lawn to children who usually rolled eggs on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. However, some accounts of informal egg-rolling events date back to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the White House website states.

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The celebrations on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol grew so popular in the 1870s that President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill banning egg-rolling events on the grounds due to landscape concerns.

In 1878, a group of children approached the gates of the White House in the hope that they would be allowed to play egg-rolling games on the grounds. Hayes let the children in, and the White House event became an annual tradition. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison added the U.S. Marine Band to the event.
The planning of the event has traditionally been the task of First Ladies, with Lou Hoover adding folk dancing while Pat Nixon included the now-traditional egg roll races.