WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – After a pandemic pause, the White House sprang to life Monday as thousands of kids once again raced with colorful eggs across the South Lawn.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed a large, mostly unmasked crowd of about 30,000 people to this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll.

“We’re finally getting together again,” President Biden said. “It means so much to see and hear the children and all the families show up to be here today. The joy. The laughter.”

While the president refereed some of the first egg roll races, the first lady used her role as an educator to add her own personal touch to the event.

“We turned the South Lawn into a school community,” First Lady Biden said.

This year’s education themed Egg Roll showcased more traditional holiday favorites, like meeting the Easter bunny, hunting for eggs or for Mackenzie McMillan, who traveled to the White House for the first time with her family from Maryland: “The candy.”

But participants from all across the country also experienced things only the White House could bring, like a book reading by “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, a decades-old display of the First Ladies’ commemorative Easter eggs or for Vivienne Allison, who also traveled from Maryland with her family: “We saw the vice president.”

“It’s an amazing experience to just get on the lawn there,” Vivienne’s dad, Mike Allison, said. “And a new thing for them to experience as well.”

The White House has welcomed children and their families for the annual Easter Egg Roll since 1878. The general public can apply for tickets through an online lottery.