San Antonio's Brackenridge Park Marks 125th Anniversary with Cherished Easter Traditions and Family Festivities

Easter at Brackenridge Park in San Antonio is a vibrant tradition etched deep in the hearts of locals. This year, the park celebrated its 125th anniversary, and families marked the occasion with a photo event hosted by the Brackenridge Park Conservancy, as reported by FOX San Antonio. Visitors had their Easter memories captured for free by a professional photographer and were able to download the shots through QR codes placed around the park.

Amid the celebrations, the Cerna family's seven-decade-long Easter camping tradition continued to be a testament to the park's cultural significance. Josh Cerna, leading the family's festivities, began the annual ritual on Palm Sunday, a week before the holiday, to secure the family's cherished spot, despite technical rules prohibiting camping until Thursday before Easter. According to an interview in the San Antonio Express-News, the Cernas resorted to tactics like chaining chairs to trees and setting up temporary markers to claim their traditional territory.

The park's commemoration brought together multiple generations, with the conservancy ensuring that the Cernas' big family reunion, sometimes drawing up to 150 people, was photographed. Audrey Schneider Medina, events manager for the Brackenridge Park Conservancy, highlighted the park as "the heart of San Antonio" and noted the generations of families coming out to celebrate Easter there. 

Meanwhile, local artist Micheal Menchaca, celebrated Easter at Brackenridge Park through art with a large 8-by-4-foot collage, capturing the essence of the holiday's community spirit. Menchaca recalled their childhood memories of camping and enjoying the freedom of the park. In a statement obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.