Crowds packed the shoreline at South Padre Island on Labor Day, with local businesses reporting strong sales to close out the summer.

Channel 5 News was at the beach, where it stayed busy throughout the day. 

Harlingen resident Dulce Aguirre was among the beachgoers enjoying the holiday with her family.

"We had the day off, and we like to come here to relax and just have some fun; it's a beautiful day," Aguirre said.

Mission resident Henesy Gonzalez said the beach was the break she needed from work.

"It's nice for people like us that work every day. It's a good opportunity to have a day off and spend some extra time and relax," Gonzalez said.

Local businesses also saw a boost from the holiday crowds.

Meatball Cafe Manager Rumaldo Ramirez said business was even better than last year.

"Numbers may be between 15 and 20%, give or take, but we were up from last year in sales," Ramirez said.

To handle the surge, Meatball Cafe extended weekend hours and brought in extra help.

"We hired about, for the summer, about 15 or 20 people; that's counting front and back of the house. They do a good job," Ramirez said.

Aguirre said she is already planning her family's next beach trip.

"Hopefully we can do this more often. I really enjoyed this with my husband and my daughter," Aguirre said.

Watch the video above for the full story.