Galveston crowds: Beachgoers enjoying 'unofficial end of summer' for Labor Day
GALVESTON, Texas - Thousands of people were in Galveston Monday enjoying some sun to celebrate the unofficial end to summer.
"Going to the beach," said Madison Coronado. "I just grabbed a six-pack, going to relax and read my book."
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According to AAA, this year’s Labor Day weekend could be the busiest in years. While most people were expected to drive for the holiday, about 14 million passengers were expected to pass through TSA airport screening checkpoints.
"We live about an hour away," said Kim Karm, a Galveston visitor. "Today, is honestly not as crowded as I thought it would be. Traffic is fine, parking is fine."
Labor Day weekend is the third most popular summer weekend for guests to visit Galveston Island. According to Peter Davis, Chief of Galveston Island Beach Patrol, roughly 250,000 people were expected in Galveston during the three days.
"What we’ve got here is beautiful weather," said Davis. "It’s not nearly as hot here as it is in the Houston area. We’re always about eight degrees cooler. So, we’ve had large numbers of people. Hotel occupancy has been through the roof, it’s a big holiday weekend."
Crowds Monday were pretty spread out along the beach. Red flags were flying signaling dangerous rip currents.
"We’ve had our hands full keeping people away from structures," said Davis. "We’ve done a few thousand preventative actions, where we’re moving people out of danger this weekend. We’re probably going to hit about 10,000 by the end of the weekend."
Crowds Monday in Galveston enjoying some sun at the beach to celebrate the unofficial end to summer.
"Here, it’s beautiful," said Jackie Snyder. "The sun is out, and I’m loving it."