South Street Egg Hunt features ‘eggscellent’ works of art, includes a $1,000 grand prize

If you’re wandering around South Street the next few weeks, keep your eyes peeled for colorfully decorated eggs for a chance at winning prizes worth up to $1,000.

The South Street Egg Hunt includes more than 50 eggs. They were designed by local artists, students at The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and business owners, and can be found in storefronts and business windows until April 9. It is free to participate.

People can enter for prizes by sharing pics of the eggs on Instagram, tagging @southstreetphilly and using the hashtag, #SouthStreetEggHunt. Non-social media entries can be emailed to SouthStreetEggHunt@gmail.com.

Three winners will each receive a $50 gift card to the South Street business of their choosing. One winner will receive the Grand Prize Egg Basket with gift cards from SSHD businesses valued at $1,000.

The egg hunt, now in its third year, originally came about after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the Easter Promenade in 2020 and 2021.

“I think the pandemic kind of allowed all of us an opportunity to reevaluate how we communicate with each other,” said Sarah Cowell, manager of digital and marketing for the South Street Headhouse District . “How we support each other from afar, and how we can safely support each other in closer proximity.”

The number of eggs has more than doubled since the hunt started in 2021, according to SSHD Executive Director Mike Harris. And there’s no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

“It’s really just a matter of finding places to hang the eggs,” he said. “But that’s not a terrible problem to have.”

Harris said the eggs act as blank canvases to showcase the many facets and personalities of South Street. There’s no strict guidelines for what’s included on the eggs, which has resulted in a wide variety of unique designs.

“It’s interesting to see how the eggs get incorporated,” Harris said. “Some are just hung in the window and some are incorporated into their visual marketing in their displays. I’m even amazed by, you know, the quality of the art and the creativity in the displays of how the businesses are putting them up.”

The eggs will be on display leading up to the Easter Promenade on Sunday, April 9. Prize winners will be randomly chosen on March 20, March 27, and April 3 for the $50 gift cards, and on April 10 for the Grand Prize Egg Basket.

SSHD doesn’t want this year’s hunt to be too “over easy,” but for a head start you can check out the map of the egg locations.