Easter Bunny Photo Experience is coming soon to Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and St. Charles Towne Center to delight kids

Simon®, a global leader in retail real estate, is hosting its annual Easter celebration festivities at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and St. Charles Towne Center, offering families the chance to participate in traditional and unique seasonal events.

The Bunny Photo Experience will give children the chance to visit with the Easter Bunny and take home a treasured snapshot of the fun occasion to last for seasons to come. The presenting sponsor for the 2016 Bunny Photo Experience is The Gymboree Corporation – including its Gymboree and Crazy 8 clothing brands. Easter Bunny photo schedules and locations for each mall are as follows:

· Fashion Centre at Pentagon City: Photos available March 11 – March 26 in the Nordstrom Court, Ground Level

· St. Charles at Towns Center: Photos available March 4 – March 26 in Center Court

“We love to hold family-friendly events and we always look forward to watching children interact with the Bunny at Easter,” said Todd Jerscheid at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

St. Charles Towne Center’s Caring Bunny™ event will take place Sunday, March 6 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. in Center Court. The event will offer families that have children with special needs a subdued environment to participate in the Bunny Photo Experience. During this private event, 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 (specific elements or aesthetics may vary):

· 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.

· 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.

Caring Bunny has been developed by Simon and is guided by AbilityPath.org, a national online resource hub and special needs community. Over 90 Simon® properties will host the Caring Bunny this season. Promotional assistance for Caring Bunny has been provided by Autism Speaks. Registration is required for the Caring Bunny event at St. Charles Towne center. For more information and to reserve a photo appointment, visit (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/caring-bunny-tickets-21279151515).

About Fashion Centre at Pentagon City

Fashion Centre at Pentagon City features over 170 stores including anchors Nordstrom and Macy’s. The international shopping destination is also home to a variety of specialty stores ranging from fashion-forward shops such as Armani Exchange, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman and Vince Camuto to celebrated favorites like Apple, Sephora and Victoria’s Secret. Fashion Centre at Pentagon City regularly hosts a number of community and signature events including Holiday Shopping Night Out and Indulge. For a map and store listings, as well as directions, events and job listings, visit simon.com or call 703-415-2400. Visit Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on facebook.com/FashionCtrAtPentagon, twitter.com/fashionctrpc and instagram.com/fashionctrpc.

About St. Charles Towne Center:
St. Charles Towne Center is a 982,000 square foot family shopping center with a dynamic retail mix featuring more than 130 stores and eateries, anchored by Macy’s, Macy’s Home Store, JC Penney, Sears and Kohl’s. The mall is also home to a variety of specialty stores from fashion favorites such as H&M, Forever 21 and Express to family-focused retailers including Crazy 8, The Children’s Place and Build-A-Bear Workshop. St. Charles Towne Center regularly hosts community events such as Simon Kidgits Club. For a map and store listings, as well as directions, events and job listings, visit www.simon.com or call 301-870-6996. Visit St. Charles Towne Center on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

About Simon

Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.

About AbilityPath.org

AbilityPath.org is an online hub and special needs community for parents and professionals to learn, connect and live a more balanced life. The website combines social networking features with expert content from AbilityPath.org’s team of educators, parents, therapists and medical professionals.AbilityPath.org was created by Community Gatepath, a nonprofit with over 90 years of experience serving families and children with special needs by fostering hope, dignity and independence. AbilityPath.org may also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

About Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed more than $500 million to its mission, the majority in science and medical research. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 100 cities across North America. On the global front, Autism Speaks has established partnerships in more than 40 countries on five continents to foster international research, services and awareness. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit AutismSpeaks.org.

About Gymboree

Gymboree has a 30-year rich heritage in dressing children, newborn to 12 years old. Gymboree offers colorful, head-to-toe clothing and accessory collections - quality clothes that let kids be kids.

Gymboree is part of The Gymboree Corporation family, which began in 1976 with Gymboree Play & Music, offering parent-child play programs. Today, along with franchised and company-operated Gymboree Play & Music locations, The Gymboree Corporation operates three specialty retail brands – Gymboree, Crazy 8 and Janie and Jack – offering unique, high-quality products delivered with personalized customer service in more than 1,300 stores worldwide and on www.gymboree.com, www.crazy8.com, and www.janieandjack.com.

###