EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — As is the custom in the Borderland, hundreds gathered at Eastwood Park, more commonly known as Album Park, in East El Paso on Sunday, March 31 for Easter celebrations under pristine weather conditions all morning and early afternoon.

Later, the wind and haze kicked up.

“It’s definitely perfect today. It’s not windy. It’s not hot. It’s not cold. It’s perfect to be outdoors and have some activities with the kids playing soccer, football, whatever,” said Gerardo Castaneda, who was grilling hot dogs and corn for a family of over a dozen.

Many families arrived at the park in the early hours to reserve their spot. And although hundreds gathered, the park was not as crowded as in previous years.

“We’ve been here since 7, but my sister got here right at 6 a.m. just to save a good spot. We enjoy coming to this park every Easter. We’ve been coming for about 23 years now,” said Carlos Aceves as his family enjoyed a friendly baseball game.

Other families celebrated at Album Park for the first time ever and after years of not being able to gather for the celebration.

“It’s just really hard to get together nowadays with work and school and just everybody wanting their own time. It’s really, really hard to get together. For us personally, it’s excessively hard. So today’s very, very special because we actually got the family together,” said Elisa Valenzuela.

Others arrived in the afternoon after attending church service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“So for me it’s a celebration of life because he died (Jesus Christ) for us to live,” said Savannah Beltran. “So I go to church in the morning and then we come and have lunch here and then we’re going to play some games.”

Overcast skies and a comfortable breeze, families were able to enjoy their favorite traditions and activities.

People cooked carne asada, grilled burgers and corn, or hot dogs, as the conditions early in the afternoon lent themselves to some Easter fun.

Families gathered at tables for card games, with others playing friendly matches of volleyball, football, baseball, and soccer. And of course, they had Easter egg hunts and plenty of Easter baskets to go around.