'Green Friday': East Bay Regional Parks offer free entry on day after Thanksgiving
OAKLAND – Looking to offer an outdoor alternative to crowded shopping malls and stores this Black Friday, the East Bay Regional Park District has announced free entry to all parks on the day after Thanksgiving.
Calling the event "Green Friday", all entrance activity fees are waived in the district's more than six dozen parks, including fees for parking, dogs, horses, boat launching and fishing. Entrance fees to Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont are also waived.
"Green Friday provides healthy and fun ways to enjoy the day after Thanksgiving with family and friends," the district said in a statement.
East Bay Regional Parks has held its "Green Friday" promotion for the past nine years.
The park district has also announced programs at select parks, including Ardenwood, Reinhardt Redwood in Oakland, Sunol Regional Wilderness Regional Preserve, Del Valle Regional Park near Livermore and Black Diamond Mines near Antioch. Additional information about the events and a schedule can be found on the park district's website.
While entrance fees are waived, the park district said state fees for fishing licenses and watercraft inspections would still apply. Fees would also be charged for concessions, including the Tilden Merry-go-Round and the Redwood Valley Railway steam train at Tilden Park near Berkeley.
According to the district, East Bay Regional Parks comprises 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline and more than 1,300 miles of trails in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.