City of Dubuque Offering Free Downtown Parking During Thanksgiving Weekend

NOVEMBER 24, 2025

The City of Dubuque is providing free parking at metered spaces in the downtown area beginning on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 27) through Sunday, Nov. 30.

The free downtown parking over the holiday weekend is meant to encourage Dubuque residents and visitors to shop at local downtown businesses. Thanksgiving weekend includes two major holiday shopping days, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, which are critical to the yearly success of retailers in the Dubuque community.

“Over the past several years, we’ve found that offering free downtown parking is one way the City can support our local retailers and restaurants,” says Director of Transportation Services Ryan Knuckey. “This is a relatively small gesture on our part that we hope will make a big difference at this crucial time for main Dubuque businesses.”

Black Friday has long signaled the beginning of the holiday shopping season. It’s estimated that as many as 168 million Americans shopped either online or in-person on Black Friday in 2024, while global Black Friday sales climbed five percent to nearly $74.4 billion. Meanwhile, Small Business Saturday is intended to encourage patronage at smaller-scale retailers. Since launching in 2010, the annual effort has produced an estimated total revenue of more than $200 billion.

For a full list of parking options in downtown Dubuque and more information, visit www.cityofdubuque.org/parking or call 563-589-4266.

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MEDIA CONTACT
Ryan Knuckey, Director of Transportation Services
rknuckey@cityofdubuque.org, 563.589.4266