SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Eggs roll in White House tradition

Thousands of children with spoons chased eggs across the White House lawn after President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle gave the start signal.

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Ready, set, go!

Thousands of children with spoons chased eggs on Monday across the White House lawn after President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle gave the start signal for the 135-year-old tradition.

Obama played with children on the sidelines of the race, shooting basketballs on the White House outdoor court and reading books.

Actor Jim Carrey and Sesame Street characters helped entertain the kids, ages five-13, during the sunny but cool spring day.

An estimated 30,000 parents and their children were admitted in groups at assigned times through the day.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The prized tickets for the annual egg roll were distributed by lottery through the White House website.

"It is our most fun event because we have a chance to see families from all across the country coming through," Obama said.

In keeping with her push for the country to get healthy, Michelle Obama set up education stations for parents "to learn how to make healthy snacks that the kids will actually eat."

The first lady, who started a garden with local school children soon after moving into the White House in 2009, personally demonstrated at the healthy food snack station during the day.

In the race, children used long spoons to push colourfully dyed hard-boiled eggs across the lawn.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world