It’s official: San Antonio will not allow people to camp overnight at City parks this weekend.
Last year, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic shut down the beloved San Antonio tradition of Easter weekend camping at Brackenridge Park. This year, with local providers administering more vaccine and coronavirus positivity rates holding in the single digits, City officials ruminated over whether to allow camping this Easter. Ultimately, they decided against it, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.
Nirenberg delivered the news during Monday’s coronavirus briefing. Starting this week, the briefings by the City and Bexar County will take place only on Mondays and Thursdays.
Brackenridge Park and others won’t be closed entirely this weekend. Nirenberg said people should feel free to visit and have fun with their households “outside as best as you can,” but visitors can’t set up tents for overnight stays.
“We do not have the resources to properly enforce public health protocols for overnight camping during Easter, but we are encouraging folks to visit the park,” he said.
In a typical year, hundreds of people flock to Brackenridge Park, north of the Pearl Brewery, staking tent site claims on Holy Thursday. In 2015, Parks and Recreation anticipated 1,000 campers over Easter weekend. But in 2021, the tradition will be paused for another year.
“I know that this has been a disappointing and difficult year for everyone,” Nirenberg said. “We’re asking for your patience, though, as we try to put this pandemic behind us.”
