Solana Beach family leads impromptu Easter parade

With social distancing changing many holiday plans, Solana Beach resident Jessica Pride and her family had to find a way to replace their traditional visit to the Easter Bunny.

After coming up with an idea to lead the Easter Bunny in an impromptu parade through the local neighborhoods, Pride went on the social media site Nextdoor to gauge how receptive the community would be. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“It was really awesome to bring joy to so many kids and families,” said Pride, who has been sheltering in place with her family, including children ages 9 and 7.

Pride’s husband was in a full Easter Bunny costume, and she and her children wore Easter Bunny onesies.

They covered Solana Beach on April 11 in a street-legal golf cart in the morning and early afternoon, followed by Del Mar later in the evening. The route was posted on Nextdoor. In a moment of respite after weeks of sheltering in place, local children and their families came outside to view the Easter Bunny while maintaining proper social distancing.

“There are so many dark things going on right now,” Pride said. “Every time we turn on the news it’s about someone else who’s died or coronavirus has spread, and it’s been traumatic for my children.

“We really wanted to do something that brought joy and made people smile,” she added.

They wanted to do a second day and possibly add other nearby areas, but the rain limited the parade to Saturday only.

They wanted to do a second day and possibly add other nearby areas, but the rain limited the parade to Saturday only. Pride said it was very nice to know that “together we can find joy and we can celebrate occasions. I think Easter’s a celebratory occasion and it deserved to be celebrated.”