Seasonal happening at River View Park also included games, a petting zoo, and photos with the Easter Bunny
The lawn at River View Park in Buellton was a sea of eggs a day before Easter, ready to be picked clean by a swarm of kids accompanied by their parents and other adults during the 35th annual Buellton Easter Egg Hunt (also known as the Easter Eggstravanza) on April 19.
The event, put on by the Buellton and Solvang parks and rec departments and billed as the Santa Ynez Valley’s largest egg hunt, kicked off around 10 a.m., with areas cordoned off for four different age groups.
The young participants were so eager to fill their baskets with the plastic colored eggs that they jumped the boundary and started searching before emcee Fred Lageman had a chance to finish his countdown. Lageman stationed out in the middle of the vast park lawn, just went with it and quickly completed the countdown, before the hunt was on, with most of the eggs accumulated within a few minutes.
Buellton Recreation Coordinator Kristen Thomsen said over 15,000 eggs were put out for the hunt.
“A bunch of us were all out here last night until 7:30 putting them out there,” Thomsen said.
The eggs had candy and other little goodies for the kids, and as in years past, there was a golden egg placed in each section, and the person who found it was awarded with a giant easter basket with candy and prizes.
Unlike last year, the egg hunt came under sunny skies and good weather. In 2024, there was intermittent rain throughout the day, with many activities canceled. Not so this year, with games, activities, and a petting zoo available after the egg hunt was done.
Out on the lawn, after the hunt, the Pfefferle family — Logan and Aubrey, along with their kids Tatum, 3, and Parker, 1 — were opening the eggs the kids got and enjoying the nice day.
“We just moved to Solvang, and this is the kind of event we love to find in the area,” Logan Pfefferle said. “The kids are having a great time, and I’m glad the weather in fine.”
Eric Hanse of Buellton was sitting with his daughter Carter, 4, and son Logan, 2, while they were perusing through their eggs.
“We come to this every year,” Eric Hanse said. “It’s just a good event and they have a lot of things to do here to keep the kids interested.”
Off at the end of the park, there were plenty of booths set up: A Lego station where kids could build their favorite creations, an art table with markers and sketch paper, and a booth for Valley Music Magic, the organization run by local musician Dewey Roberts that offers musical lessons for all ages.
Roberts manned the booth, answering any questions about Valley Music Magic and offering a few guitars and ukelelesfor attendees to try out.
“This is such a great community event, and a chance for me to share the word of music,” Roberts said. “This is the perfect place to inspire, share, and love music.”
Meanwhile nearby there was the return of the petting zoo, where a few kids at a time were able to get acquainted with, and of course, people were lined up to get their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. A good time seemed to be had by all.
The Eggstravaganza is expected to be back next year, as always the day before Easter, on April 4, 2026.
