The White House Easter Egg Roll officially began in 1878.
President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House grounds to children on Easter Monday, April 22, 1878. The move followed Congress’s decision to restrict public egg rolling on the U.S. Capitol grounds because the activities damaged the landscaping. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Hayes therefore helped establish the White House South Lawn as the new setting.
Egg rolling in Washington existed before 1878, and informal Easter festivities had taken place around the Capitol and during earlier presidential administrations. That earlier history is why some accounts distinguish between the broader Washington tradition and the first official White House event. The year 1878 refers specifically to the White House tradition.
The event later developed additional features. Children entered the East Room hoping to see President Grover Cleveland in 1885, and President Benjamin Harrison added music from the United States Marine Band in 1889. Although interrupted in some years by war, conservation measures, weather, and other crises, the tradition has continued for generations.