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One of San Antonio’s more unique Easter traditions is camping in Brackenridge Park and several other city parks. As the holiday weekend ramps up, tents are already set up as the city lifts its usual camping curfew.
Families who already have their spaces staked out start claiming them in the days leading up to the holiday. That includes the Cerna family, which has been camping in the same area of Brackenridge Park for 70 years.
In a corner of the park with three picnic tables next to the historic Donkey Barn, a longtime park structure that resembles the Alamo, Joshua Cerna lights a cigar and opens a beer with his uncle, Augie Cerna.
“We call it ‘The Spot,’” Augie said. “‘See you at the spot’ — everybody knows where this is.”
As for when they got here this year, Joshua said they started claiming it on Saturday. There are also unwritten rules about how to claim areas.
“If you drive around, you’ll see a table taped off, or an area marked off. But this is a lot of real estate for Easter weekend,” he said, referring to “The Spot.”
It’s Wednesday night at dusk. There are about 20 Cerna family members here. They’re expecting about 150 people, including friends and neighbors, throughout the weekend.
Their table has a cardboard sign that says “Reserved” with their last name.
“This is the elder table, and when I found myself here, I realized that I was getting old,” he said, pointing to nearby tables. “Those are the young cousins over there — loud music. They’re staying up till 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. And then that’s the West Side. They’re all from Lanier,” referring to the high school.
Between the three tables, kids toss a football. At least two grills are going.
Augie is the eldest family member. He said there are photos of him here at age 7, around 1955. “It’s a get-together. Some families have reunions; some people don’t,” he said. “But our reunion, we don’t have to plan it. We know we’re going to be here.”
Normally, camping overnight in San Antonio parks is prohibited — except when the city lifts its curfew specifically for Easter, beginning Thursday.
Some of the younger Cerna family members will camp overnight.
“We’ll be here at the campsite,” Augie Cerna said. “People can spend the night. Friday, traditionally, we always have fish — we’ll have a fish fry. Everybody brings fish. We have a crawfish boil. Saturday, we have a poker game sometimes. And then Easter — the egg toss is Sunday, and an Easter egg hunt for the kids.”
Prepping all of this requires coordination, especially when it comes to food, which Joshua said took some time to master.
“One year, I brought chicken thighs. Then my uncle shows up and he had the same idea. Then my cousins show up, and we ended up with 15 pounds of pinche chicken thighs,” he recalled, laughing. “And it’s like, OK, yeah, let’s get a little bit more organized on this.”
But regardless of what food is brought, being together is what matters.
“The tradition was here long before I was, and I pray it’s here long after we’re gone,” Joshua said.
San Antonio authorized camping in 11 city parks over the weekend. Here’s where in 2026:
- Brackenridge Park — 3700 N. St. Mary’s
- Brackenridge Park — First Tee, 915 E. Mulberry (beginning Friday, April 3 at 3 p.m.)
- Brackenridge Park — Lions Field, 2809 Broadway
- McAllister Park — 13102 Jones Maltsberger
- MLK Park — 3503 Martin Luther King Drive
- Roosevelt Park — 331 Roosevelt Ave.
- San Pedro Springs Park — 1315 San Pedro Ave.
- O.P. Schnabel Park — 9606 Bandera Road
- Southside Lions Park — 3100 Hiawatha
- Southside Lions Park East — 3900 Pecan Valley
- Woodlawn Lake Park — 1103 Cincinnati (excludes the Island House and gym areas)
