Kids of all ages scrambled around to find Easter eggs during Renew Queens and Wellspring Church’s 10th annual Easter egg hunt and festival.
Photo by Alice Moreno
Families and children of all ages donned in their Sunday best gathered around Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City for the 10th annual Easter egg hunt and festival. Beginning at 10 a.m., 10,000 guests were able to enjoy carnival games, photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny in front of the Manhattan skyline and an Easter egg hunt, which was divided by age groups.
“We just want to create a big, fun experience for families and for kids, invite them, connect them with local nonprofits, to local churches, to local businesses and create a wonderful experience for families,” said Seth Bazacas, executive director at Renew Queens and Pastor at Wellspring Church.
Games and entertainment were provided at the Easter egg hunt and festival. Photo by Alice Moreno
The event had a variety of sponsors, including NYC Stars, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Cares Network. Council Member Julie Won partnered with the event, helping them run the event. According to Renew Queens’ website, the festival is billed as the largest Easter egg hunt in New York City.
A family poses with the Easter bunny. Photo by Alice Moreno
Arranged under a red-and-white tent, guests were able to play carnival games, such as Fat Cats – where one uses little bean bags to knock down the target, in this case, fat cat figures – and ring toss. A dunk tank was present by the entrance, where one can successfully dunk someone when answering a question correctly. Live entertainment was provided, where guests sang along to songs about Easter.
Guests play the game “Fat Cats.” Photo by Alice Moreno
Guests play “Hit the Bucket” and “Ring Toss.” Photo by Alice Moreno
Guests could dunk someone after answering a question correctly. Photo by Alice Moreno
Live performances were provided. Photo by Alice Moreno
Guests sit around and sing along to the live performances. Photo by Alice Moreno
The main show was the Easter egg hunt. Held every 20 minutes, kids from ages 2 to 10 registered to pick up eggs around the grass area in front of the Queens Public Library. The eggs were set by dozens of volunteers, who helped create the magic.
Dozens of volunteers set up thousands of eggs. Photo by Alice Moreno
After the countdown, guests ran as fast as they could to gather some eggs. Photo by Alice Moreno
Kids run as they find Easter eggs. Photo by Alice Moreno
The main focus of the event is to create an environment for local families to enjoy what Long Island City has to offer and for the community to come together and meet each other.
The Easter bunny is eager to meet a toddler. Photo by Alice Moreno
“We really are passionate about seeing Western Queens be sustainable for families, so that people don’t feel like they have to come and just pass through for a few years. We want to see people come and say, ‘Hey, I could raise my family here,’” Bazacas said. “And there’s resources. We’re running camps, day camps, summer camps. We want to offer resources for people in need. We give scholarships away to kids.”