Tourists flock to Palm Springs for holiday weekend

The Thanksgiving holiday brought food, football, shopping and visitors from all around the country.

Tourists flooded the streets of Palm Springs, with little to no parking in sight.

It's the first year back in full swing for holiday, after the pandemic put a pause on celebrations last year.

“Business has been great, people are spending a bit more on their check than normal so there’s a lot of optimism in the air and it feels good," said Patrick Servic, a manager of Las Caseulas.

Out-of-towners flocked to the desert to escape the cold winters in other parts of the country, and enjoy some sunshine.

Visiting from San Francisco, Kelli Marks said “We're here with our families and because of the warm weather and covid, we’re able to eat outside sand still be safe, but also enjoy the summer vibe that’s here.”

Tourists said they’re excited to see a sense of pre-pandemic normality.

"It’s pretty busy, it’s nice to be out in the open and everybody walking around kind of seeing faces now so kinda nice,” said Teddy Ohana, who's visiting from Orange County.

However, others said they’re still going to be cautious since the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over yet.

“I'm still weary. Like i still wear my mask walking big crowds outside, i’m just not there yet," said Marin-native Cristina Protella.

Restaurants also saw long lines, and even longer waiting times.

Owner of Sherman’s Deli and Bakery, Sam Harris, said their business is better now than it has been in years.

“We are busier than we were pre-pandemic. and when we set our schedules up and looked at those numbers, what were we doing in 2019. we were set for that but that wasn’t even close to having enough people here to take care of our customers,” said Harris.