Easter Festivities Coming to Auburn Mall

Friday, March 08, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Auburn Mall, a property of Simon Property Group. Inc., is hosting its annual Easter celebration festivities, offering families the chance to participate in both traditional and unique seasonal events.

Central Mass-area children and parents are encouraged to “hop” to it this Easter season as the holiday arrives early on Sunday, March 31. The main event, the Bunny Photo Experience, begins Friday, March 8 and runs through Saturday, March 31st at Macy’s Home Court. Kids will have the chance to visit with the Bunny and take home a treasured snapshot of the fun occasion and Kidgits Bunny ears.

The presenting sponsor for the 2013 Bunny Photo Experience is Gymboree. The event’s associate sponsor is Scanimalz, a collectible plush line that captures what kids love: cuddly toys, technology and playing games on smartphones and tablets. With Scanimalz, parents and kids can simply download the free iOS and Android Scanimalz App to scan the QR codes on Scanimalz belly to play games, track their collections, earn points and work their way up the leader board.

“We love to hold family-friendly events at Auburn Mall and we always look forward to watching children interact with the Bunny at Easter,” said Sheila Hennessy, area director of marketing at Auburn Mall.

Additionally, following the success of Simon® malls’ 2012 Caring Santa initiative where thousands of guests participated, Auburn Mall’s Caring Bunny™ event will offer families which have children with special needs a subdued environment to participate in the Bunny Photo Experience.

On Sunday, March 17th from 9:00a.m. – 10:30a.m., many steps will be taken to reduce sensory triggers, creating a more comforting environment for children’s cherished visit with the Bunny. The subdued environment is likely to include: turning off in-mall music; stopping escalators located near the photo set; dimming the lights and shutting down fountains for the duration of the event; eliminating queue lines through the use of a numbering system whereby guests approach the set when their number is called; and special activities geared toward the needs of the child during the ‘wait’ period to help the child understand what activities will occur during the visit.

The Simon Kidgits Club® will also host a special Easter event, on Sunday March 23rd, Snack Time with the Easter Bunny from 8:30a.m. – 10:00a.m. where kids can participate in various craft-making activities and games including sharing a snack with the Easter Bunny followed by an Easter Egg Hunt at particular stores. Kids will receive take-home treats.

The Simon Kidgits Club is a fun and informative program that focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages 3-8. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2013, the Simon Kidgits Club has kept children and parents alike amused for a decade with various events and activities while providing incentives for club members, such as special offers, rewards and games.

For more information about the Simon Kidgits Club and Auburn Mall’s Easter events, visit the Kidgits Club web page or the Auburn Mall on Facebook and Twitter at @ShopAuburnMall.