This weekend, families will have the chance to participate in the longstanding San Antonio tradition of camping at local parks for Easter.
Though rain is forecast for Friday, park officials still expect crowds. The usual 11 p.m. park curfew will be lifted Thursday and will revert to regular park hours on Easter Sunday at 11 p.m.
This year, Brackenridge Park will allow overnight camping for the first time at the First Tee, 915 E. Mulberry St., starting Friday at 3 p.m. The park’s usual camping areas will be open Thursday.
Visitors can also camp at McAllister Park, Martin Luther King Park, Roosevelt Park, San Pedro Springs Park, O.P. Schnabel Park, Southside Lions Park and Southside Lions Park East and Woodlawn Lake Park.
Camping at San Antonio parks has been a local tradition for decades. Families traditionally set up their stakes as early as Thursday morning. A less heartwarming local tradition has been the piles of trash campers leave behind.
As it does every year, the city’s Parks and Recreation department is reminding overnight campers and visitors to bring trash bags to dispose of litter properly.
Last year, when overnight camping resumed at San Antonio parks after COVID restrictions shut down the beloved tradition, campers left behind significant amounts of trash, parks officials said. Easter campers disposed of 19 tons of trash and five tons of recycling at Brackenridge Park alone.
The city’s Park Stewardship team and volunteers will be walking the park to help campers dispose of waste, promote recycling and provide extra trash bags to visitors.
“We encourage visitors to do their part to ensure our parks remain clean by disposing of litter and recyclables properly. Whatever you pack into the park, please remember to pack it out,” said Homer Garcia, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation department.
The city won’t be suspending its wildlife management activity over the Easter weekend. That includes “clapper boards and pyrotechnics,” which officials said sound similar to fireworks, to deter bird activity at Brackenridge Park and Woodlawn Lake Park.
