An early sign of spring has sprouted in Washington, D.C.: The ticket lottery for this year's White House Easter Egg Roll opened on Monday, Feb. 26.
The annual event, which traditionally takes place the day after Easter, will return to the South Lawn on Monday, April 1 (In case you're about to check your calendar: Easter is March 31).
Tickets for the Easter Egg Roll are free, but there’s a process to get them. First, hopeful visitors must enter an online lottery on this page. The lottery will be open until Monday, March 4 at noon. Winners will be randomly selected and then notified via email on Monday, March 11.
Easter Egg Roll activities are geared toward kids 12 and younger. More details, including the theme and schedule, are scheduled to be released "in the coming weeks," a White House press release said.
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The White House also says it's looking for volunteers. People who want to help should apply online by Monday, March 4 at noon.
The Easter Egg Roll tradition dates back to 1878. After Congress passed a law forbidding Capitol grounds from being used as a playground, then-President Rutherford B. Hayes invited children to roll Easter eggs outside the White House.
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