GALVESTON, Texas — A few scattered sprinkles didn't stop the fun in Galveston this Labor Day weekend.
"We were here yesterday for a birthday," said one visitor Monday afternoon. "So we made it a weekend."
"We were at the wine and food festival at Moody Gardens," said another visitor. "It was awesome!”
Galveston tourism officials expected between 250,000 and 500,000 visitors over the Labor Day weekend. That's on par with how things have been in recent years.
"In 2022, our tourism numbers were really fantastic," said Visit Galveston PR Manager Mackenzie Finklea. "We brought in over $1.2 billion in tourism tax and revenue to the city, so that was really great. And we’re expecting some similar numbers for 2023.”
The only hiccup for much of Labor Day was a high rip current threat, especially along jetties and piers. It prompted beach patrol to fly a red flag and keep a closer watch on the weather.
“These little pop-up cells have been coming through," said Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis. "Earlier today, they did have some with lightning, but the rest have not so we do monitor that and sometimes we’ll clear the water and, you know, we have to get the guards out of the towers too."
Most people coming to Galveston are from Greater Houston or somewhere else in Texas, looking for an easily accessible year-round getaway.
That resulted in more 8.1 million visitors last year alone.
"My wife, she just loves the water," said Brett Matute of Houston. "And whether I want to do it or not, we’re going to do it. We’re going to come down here and ride up and down the Seawall until I can’t ride anymore, and then go home.”
Beach patrol said Labor Day weekend is the last for much of its staff who are students or from other countries.
Guard towers come down during the first week of October, although roving patrols remain.