Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to the summer season for businesses at South Padre Island.
Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill is just one of many businesses managing large crowds.
Armando Sanchez, who has been with Clayton's for around eight years, says the summer is their busiest season.
“We always see an increase of high pedestrian activities, beach activities, so it's not just for us here at Clayton's, it's for the whole island," Sanchez said. "A lot of people do live off the revenue of tourism, so we're seeing a little bit of everybody from all over the state to out-of-state people."
Joe Graham, sales manager with Breakaway Cruises, says they have been seeing the large crowds since Friday.
“The huge crowds that show up; Memorial Day is the start of our season," Graham said. "Up until this point, it’s primarily visitors on the weekends. We get some people vacationing, but the kids are still in school. Memorial Day, the kids are just getting out of school and people are ready to go on holiday.”
While people might have fun with family and friends on Memorial Day, everyone is reminded that the day serves as a time to honor those who served and lost their lives for the country.
“How do you honor those people? A holiday where we all cook hot dogs and have fun is one thing and it’s great, but we all try to stop and pause for just a little bit for what it really means. Why we have Memorial Day.”
