Washington, DC - The White House announces the full program, activities, and talent line-up for the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition in its 138th year and the largest annual public event at the White House.
The Easter Egg Roll will take place Monday, March 28, on the South Lawn of the White House and in honor of the final Easter Egg Roll of the Obama Administration, this year’s theme is “Let’s Celebrate.” The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. In support of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative, this year’s event will also include the first-ever White House Fun Run, where First Lady Michelle Obama will join 250 children on a short run to promote active and healthy lifestyles for kids.
To learn more about the Easter Egg Roll visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/eastereggroll. Tune in for live streams from the South Lawn on March 28, 2016 on WhiteHouse.gov/live. You can also join the conversation online using the hashtags #LetsCelebrate and #EasterEggRoll and get the latest updates by checking out Let’s Move! on Twitter and Facebook.
Talent Line-up
This year’s special guest is Tony Award Winning, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, Idina Menzel. Menzel will sing the National Anthem as well as perform on the Rock ‘n’ Egg Roll Stage.
Silento, Daya, Echosmith, Chloe x Halle, Trevor Jackson, DJ Mel, Mack and Moxy, and Sesame Street will also perform on the Rock ‘n’ Egg Roll Stage. The Official Emcee of the 2016 White House Easter Egg Roll is Tommy McFly.
Readers on the Storytime Stage will be Bear Grylls, the cast of Black-ish, Trinitee Stokes and the cast of Bunk'd, Genevieve Goings, La La Anthony, Robin Roberts, Sesame Street, Shaquille O'Neal, Shonda Rhimes, and Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon and Jeannie Mai from The Real.
Chefs Kwame Onwuachi, José Andrés, Roblé Ali, Spike Mendelsohn, Mikaila Ulmer, Pati Jinich, Sunny Anderson, and Ted Allen will prepare healthy eating demonstrations in the Play with your Food station.
In the Eggtivity Zone, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition as well as players and coaches from professional sports teams will teach kids how to play sports and show kids easy, fun ways to stay active and fit.
Athletes participating in the Eggtivity Zone and the Basketball and Tennis Courts include:
Antoine Bethea - San Francisco 49'ers
Ben Bratton - USOC / Fencing
Ben Olsen - DC United
Bobby Boswell - DC United
Brandon Williams - Baltimore Ravens
Buck Williams - NBA
Caitlin Cahow - PCFSN
Chanda Rubin - USTA
Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Okafor - NBA
Cornell McClellan - PCFSN
Curtis Pride – PCFSN
DC Divas – Women’s Football Alliance
Dominique Dawes - PCFSN
Donna Richardson - PCFSN
Donovan Carter - Cast of Ballers"
Dr. Risa Lavizzo - Mourey - PCFSN
Dr. Stephen McDonough - PCFSN
Gus Kenworthy - USOC / Freeskier
Jameel McClain - NFL Free Agent
James Blake - USTA
Jamie Loeb - 2015 NCAA Women's Singles Champion
Jason Collins – NBA/PCFSN
Jayne Greenberg - PCFSN
Jazmyn Simon - Cast of Ballers
Jeneba Tarmoh - USOC / Track and Field Sprinter
Kamerion Wimbley - Retired NFL
Katrina Adams - USTA
Lamar Neagle - DC United
Lynette Woodard - WNBA Hall of Fame
Mark Hertling - PCFSN
Markus Halsti - DC United
Michael Thomas - Miami Dolphins
Natasha Cloud - Washington Mystics
Nick Sundberg - Washington Redskins
Patrick Nyarko - DC United
Preston Smith - Washington Redskins
Reilly Opelka - 2015 Wimbledon Boys' Singles Champion
Ricky Jean Francios - Washington Redskins
Robert Thomas Shepardson - PCFSN
Roman Harper - Carolina Panthers
Ryan Kerrigan - Washington Redskins
Ryan Shane - 2015 NCAA Men's Singles Champion
Scout Bassett / USOC / Athletics Paralympic hopeful
Shaquille O'Neal - NBA
Steve Birnbaum - DC United
Swintayal Cash - New York Liberty
Taylor Townsend - USTA
Tommy Paul - (2015 Roland Garros Boys' Singles Champion)
Tony Massenburg - NBA
Tress Way - Washington Redskins
Tristan Nunez - NASCAR
Vicky Duval - USTA
The Hop To It Stage will offer a variety of interactive dance and other physical fun including Hip Hop Public Health, Kid Tribe with Mack and Moxy, PopFitKids, Soul Cycle, The Happiness Club, Troops for Fitness.
The Ellipse will have an entertainment stage and guests can enjoy musical acts and other activities from Ballet Petite presents Taptricity, Chuck Flayhart (Stilt walker), Harvard Din & Tonics, Tennis Pandas Bam and Boo, Zumba WSC as they prepare to enter the South Lawn.
This year’s costume characters include:
AbraKidabra!
Angry Birds
Bam the Panda
Boo the Panda
Buddy from Dinosaur Train
Captain Planet
Catboy, Owlette and Gekko from PJ Masks
Charlie & Checkers
Charlie Brown & Snoopy
Cheer Bear from the Care Bears
Cookie Monster
Curious George
Daniel Tiger
Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers
DC United's Talon
Doki the Dog
Duck from WordWorld
Eddie is A Yeti
Fairy Twinkletoes
Freddie the Frog
Hatching Chick
Jet from Ready Jet Go!
Maisy
Mama, Papa, Junior Bunnies
Mascot DJ Bunny
Miffy the Bunny
Mim-Mim
Mop Top the Hip Hop Scientist
Nature Cat
Nutbrown Hare
Paw Patrol
Peg + Cat
Peppa Pig + George
Po from Kung Fu Panda 3
Power Panther
Powerpuff Girls
Princess Presto
Puppy and Sis
Sid the Science Kid
Smokey Bear
SpongeBob SquarePants
Super WHY!
The Cat in the Hat
The Minions - Bob, Stuart and Kevin
The Rainbow Fish
Washington Capitals' Slapshot
Washington Kastles' Topspin and Slice
Washington Nationals' Racing Presidents - Abe
Washington Nationals' Racing Presidents - Bill
Washington Nationals' Racing Presidents - George
Washington Nationals' Racing Presidents - Teddy
Washington Nationals' Racing Presidents - Tom
Washington Nationals' Screech
Washington Wizards' G-Wiz
Woodsy Owl
YooHoo and Pammee from YooHoo and Friends
Full List of Events
With the “Let’s Celebrate” theme, this year’s event will honor the final Easter Egg Roll for the Obama Administration. The activities include obstacle courses, yoga, dancing, playing sports with professional athletes, and of course, the traditional egg roll. The full list of events is below:
Egg Roll Classics
An Egg Hunt & the traditional Egg Roll
Rock ‘n’ Egg Roll Stage
Live musical performances for all ages
Storytime Stage
Listen as celebrities bring books to life
Hop To It!
An instructional dance party on the South Lawn! Get up to dance and more
Eggtivity Zone Obstacle Course
An ultimate all-in-one obstacle course! Climb, jump, and run your way through a variety of sports drills
Basketball and Tennis
Get hands-on training from basketball and tennis pros on the President’s court
Yoga Garden
Come enjoy a session of yoga from professional instructors
Eggspress Yourself
Hatch your inner artist with arts and crafts fun! Egg dying, egg decorating, and more
Play with your Food
An entertaining activity center filled with opportunities to learn about healthy eating
Eggsperiment Zone
Interactive, educational activities designed to spark scientific curiosity and creativity
2016 Official Program and Souvenir Poster Artwork
First Lady Michelle Obama has chosen the winning artwork from this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll Design Contest. Elementary and middle school students from 19 states and two foreign countries submitted artwork related to this year’s theme, “Let’s Celebrate.” Posters will be handed out as a prize to children who win the Easter Egg Roll and Egg Hunt.
Felicity Ng is a 10-year-old in 4th grade at Audubon Elementary School in Redmond, Washington. Her artwork was chosen as the 2016 Easter Egg Roll Program Cover. Felicity enjoys drawing, writing, and playing piano, and wanted to create a patriotic egg design to commemorate President and Mrs. Obama’s final Easter Egg Roll.
Alexia de Costa is an 11-year-old in 5th grade at Queen of Apostles Catholic School in Alexandria, Virginia. Her artwork was chosen as the 2016 Easter Egg Roll Poster. Alexia enjoys painting, reading, and writing and is excited to participate with the White House in whatever ways she can.
Additional Information about the 2016 Easter Egg Roll
In total, more than 35,000 people have received tickets for the event. In 2009, the Obama Administration created an online lottery system to distribute a portion of these tickets, and for the eighth straight year, this lottery has helped open up the White House Easter Egg Roll to guests from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
This year’s event will begin at 7:30 AM and end at 6:45 PM EDT.
