Who doesn’t love candy, competition, and the chance to win prizes? Most kids will tell you that the egg hunt is the best part of Easter. With fierce competition, colorful decorations and in-egg trophies, what’s not to love? Hunting for eggs filled with candy or trinkets is exciting for anyone of any age. So if you’re wondering how to host an Easter egg hunt party at home, church, office, or community, you’ve come to the right place.
Whether you’re planning a party for the first time or you’re looking for creative ways to spice up your hunt this year, we can help. This guide shows you how to plan an Easter egg hunt in 10 easy steps that includes everything we love about the holiday. From choosing a location and gathering supplies to planning menus and hiding Easter eggs, you’ll discover everything you need to know about planning a great event.
Learn how to plan an Easter egg party that guests of all ages will love
Egg hunting is one of the most common and anticipated Easter traditions. Every year, kids compete against each other to find delicious treasures hidden in the grass, but how do these activities come together? Where can you host it? Who hid the eggs? What do you fill them with? How much do you need? Should I make snacks? How do you actually plan an Easter egg party?
How to plan an Easter egg hunt in 10 easy steps
Anyone can host a holiday hunt with just a few plastic eggs and a little candy, but an Easter egg hunt party is so much more than that; it’s a complete event with all the trappings we love about parties: the food , fun and celebration. Big or small, indoors or outdoors, for work or play, Easter egg parties are fun for all ages and easy to organize.
After reading this article, you will know how to host an Easter egg hunt party at home, in the office, at the park, or any other place that suits your needs. Here’s how to do it:
- Brainstorm the basic details of the party
Before we dive into the party planning process—gathering decorations and collecting delightful holiday recipes—take a few minutes to outline some Easter egg party essentials. Think about what you most want to achieve and the type of party you want to plan.
- Who is the party for?
- How many people do you want to invite?
- How many guests will be looking for eggs?
- What other Easter activities would you like to participate in?
- Do you provide food? Snack or meal?
- Who pays for the party?
- Set a party budget
Before booking an event venue, ordering food, or purchasing eggs, determine how much you can spend on your Easter egg hunt party. Determine how much you need to spend on your event and how much you can spend on each category, including venue, decorations, eggs and food.
- If you are planning a family event, how much money have you set aside for the vacation?
- Are you paying the bill alone, or are there multiple people paying the bill together?
- If you are sharing the costs with others, how will you finance it?
Planners organizing large public gatherings, such as charity Easter egg hunts, should consider advertising attractive prizes and charging a small admission fee. Selling low-cost tickets, homemade baked goods, raffle tickets, and having a unique Easter experience can help recoup the planning costs of a residential or community-wide hunt. Do you have enough budget to pay for a cartoonist or a professional Easter Bunny?
- Choose a meeting place
The Easter holiday is a busy time for many people, so decide early in the planning process when and where you want to hunt. If hosted at home, you have complete control over when the hunt takes place, who participates, what the hunt looks like, and where the eggs are hidden. However, you will also be responsible for setup and cleanup. Hosting an event in an office, public space, or special event venue helps with preparation and teardown, but limits your planning freedom, such as where you can decorate, how many guests you can invite, and where you can hide eggs.
For large events, such as community holiday gatherings, consider reserving an event space to make the gathering more manageable. Find a unique and event-friendly venue with features to suit your party planning needs. Arrange a site visit to see the location that interests you and write down a list of important questions about the location, such as:
- How early can you arrive to set up?
- Do you have access to outdoor areas?
- Where can you hide eggs?
- Do you have to use the venue’s supplier, or can you book it yourself?
- Can I bring outside food and drinks?
- What is the venue’s cleaning policy?
- Is a deposit required? If so, how much?
Review all venue contracts carefully before signing. Look for additional fees, activity restrictions and other policies that may affect your plan. Add deposit due dates, contract closing dates, and other important dates to your party planning calendar and notify guests when possible.
- speak out
Once you’ve chosen a location to host your Easter egg hunt, start spreading the word. Mail physical invitations, create a social media event page or communicate the message via email; it’s up to you. While formal invitations are not required for intimate family events (unless you are hosting just for fun), we recommend using formal invitations for larger gatherings such as office parties, church events, or community celebrations. Add seasonal touches to your announcements, or choose Easter invitations with fun puns, such as:
- “Jump to it and say yes!
- “Hunting is JumpPenin! are you ready?
- “Jump over and join the hunt.”
- “You are invited to join our Egg-Wonderful Easter activities.
Ask guests to RSVP by a specific date so you can estimate your guest total and plan accordingly. Just in case, expect to receive a few more visitors than indicated in the reply.
- Planning an Easter-Style Menu
Whether you plan to have a full-service meal, reserve a buffet, or prepare a few snacks, your Easter egg party guests will be in for a delicious treat. Cooking your own meals can save money, but it can be time-consuming and stressful. Hiring an event caterer can save time and effort, but is more expensive than a DIY approach. Decide which option better suits your needs and start planning an Easter egg party menu your guests will love.
If you would like to cater your party, find and book a caterer as soon as possible. Easter is a food-centric holiday that quickly fills up caterers’ calendars, even in the largest restaurants. Create a menu that offers sweet, savory and savory seasonal dishes. Some of our favorite Easter foods include:
- deviled eggs
- potato salad
- sausage balls
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- hot cross buns
- Roasted Lamb
- honey glazed ham
- fruit tower
- Cup cake
- Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bunny
At Easter, partygoers may jump from activity to activity. To prevent ordering or cooking too much, consider serving a range of Easter appetizers or a buffet instead of a multi-course meal.
- Collect party supplies
Make a list of all the items you will need for the party. Figure out what you already have, what you can repurpose, and what you need to buy, from decorations and serving supplies to plastic eggs and surprises inside.
Plastic Easter eggs are cheap and easy to find in stores or online. They come in a variety of colors and sizes—from micro to extra-large—and some can hold just a few chocolate eggs or loose coins, while others can hide toys or travel-sized snacks. Consider fan-favorite egg fillings, such as:
- candy
- confetti
- toy car
- bubble wand
- finger puppets
- elastic ball
- crayon
- mini puzzle
- chocolate bunny
- keychain
- Bracelet
- animal eraser
- self-ink stamps
- Headband
- temporary tattoo
- flower seeds
- money
- Clues to other egg locations
Gather any other supplies you may need, such as napkins, cups, or cutlery. Collect additional egg carriers such as baskets, buckets, and buckets for participants who do not have eggs. Finally, a day or two before your Easter egg hunt, purchase ice or other perishable items such as fresh fruit and baked goods.
- Create a timeline of events
Outline a general sequence of activities to establish a schedule of activities for the day. Reduce event stress by being prepared and knowing what to expect. Outline a general sequence of activities to keep them organized and ensure you have help when and where you need it.
- How long will the renovation take? When should you start?
- If you need assistance, how soon can a helper arrive to assist?
- How long do eggs need to be hidden?
- When will the caterer arrive?
- When do you expect guests to start showing up?
- Will the Easter Bunny come to visit? If so, who will play the role, when will they show up, and where will they be preparing?
- When does the big event start?
- What other activities will you offer?
Hosting the reception at your home or office gives you more time to get ready because you can come and go as you please. If you’re hosting elsewhere, double-check how far in advance you can start setting up. Take some time to clean up when you’re ready.
- fill the eggs
Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare your eggs. Whether it’s dyeing real eggs or stuffing plastic eggs, it takes time, and getting them ready for the big holiday hunt takes even longer. Set aside an afternoon to fill your Easter eggs with gifts, toys and other treasures. If you’re hosting an off-site hunt, pack eggs in easy-to-carry containers and consider storing eggs with extra special prizes separately from other eggs. This will prevent the most valuable eggs from mixing with other eggs and help you remember where they are hidden.
- decorate
When the big day arrives, arrive early, decorate your Easter party, and hide the eggs while no one else is around. Hang a “Happy Easter” banner, blow up pastel balloons, string colorful egg-shaped garlands around the snack table, or place bunny decorations around the space. Then, start hiding the eggs.
It’s fun to find creative hiding places, but remember who will be looking for them. The younger the participants, the easier it was to find Easter eggs. If all ages are participating, make some eggs harder to find and leave others in the open for the youngest contestants.
- Hide Easter Eggs
While hiding a few dozen eggs around the house won’t take long, hiding hundreds requires covering a lot of ground quickly. Ask a few people to help with sheltering to speed up the process, especially if the party is outdoors and the weather is warm. Keep a list of where eggs are hidden to avoid unfortunate surprises in the future, like finding melted chocolate inside your couch or petrified jellybeans in the soil. Use picture clues to help the youngest seekers find their fair share. Yard signs are great for pointing them in the right direction.
That’s it! You’re all done. So, sit back, relax and let the games begin.
Now you know how to plan an Easter egg party that’s both fun and impressive.
After Valentine’s Day and Easter, the holidays start to slow down. The next big celebration doesn’t happen until the end of May, when we honor those who have served over Memorial Day weekend. During this downtime, many professional planners take a break to prepare for the rest of the year by scheduling meetings, planning team-building sessions, and organizing other events. If you’re looking for fun, versatile, and affordable event ideas to get you through the holidays, here are 25 corporate event themes you can’t miss.
