Bunnies, eggs, baskets and more are on the Easter agendas this year for many families. While you prepare to celebrate the upcoming holiday, we've gathered a few family friendly events in Topeka that you can add to your calendar. Easter will fall on April 20, but these five events will be either April 12 or April 19.
Presented by the First Presbyterian Church of Topeka and Topeka First United Methodist Church, the hunt at the Kansas Statehouse will be free of charge and welcome to children of all ages, VisitTopeka.com said. Egg hunting will be done by age groups in two timed rounds at 1:15 and 1:45 p.m. to ensure the safety of all and allow time to enjoy other fun activities. A sensory-friendly hunt will be at 1:30 p.m. Activities will include games, crafts, music and an appearance by the Easter Bunny. After each egg hunt, children will trade in eggs for age-appropriate gift bags that contain candy and activities, the VisitTopeka website said. There will be allergy-friendly bags for those who need them.
The Meriden Easter Egg hunt and market will include vendors, food and more. Egg hunts will proceed by age groups with one grand prize cycle for each group awarded, an event flier said. The first group for children ages birth to 2 and 6 to 8 will begin at 10 a.m. while children ages 3 to 5 will begin at 10:05 a.m. Children ages 9 to 12 will begin at 10:15 a.m. Photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny will be available.
West Ridge Mall manager Casey Richardson said this year's egg hunt at West Ridge will be split into different age groups that include birth to 5 years old and those years 6 to 10. Richardson said they will set up a sensory space for families who may need it. Egg Hunt for the younger children will be in the former Burlington Coat Factory space, while the second will be across the entire mall. The sensory space will be at the former Pizza Hub downstairs. "We learned a lot from last year's event — really successful event but a really quick Easter Egg hunt," Richardson told The Capital-Journal. "So, this year, there should be enough eggs to go around for everybody, and it should be bigger and better."
The 10th annual Easter Fest will begin with its parade at 10 a.m. Following the parade will be the Fun Fair, which will include live music, food, petting zoo, Easter Bunny and more. The egg hunt for "pre-school and under" will start shortly after the parade, said the event's description via its Facebook page. Egg Hunt for children kindergarten to third grade will begin at 12:10 p.m. while egg hunts for fourth to sixth grade will begin at 1:10 p.m.
The Topeka Children's Fest, hosted by
Sole Reason and One Can, One Kid, will include carnival games, face painting, music, bounce houses, several food trucks and more. Those who attend can donates used footwear or canned goods for a chance to win gift cards, a Patrick Mahomes autographed jersey or a Travis Kelce autographed mini helmet.
