The City of Dubuque is providing free parking at metered spaces and City-owned ramps and lots in the downtown area beginning on Thanksgiving Day and going through Sunday, December 1st.
The free downtown parking over the holiday weekend is meant to encourage shopping 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.
It’s estimated that as many as 167 million Americans shopped either online or in-person on Black Friday in 2023, while global Black Friday sales climbed to nearly $71 billion. Meanwhile, Small Business Saturday celebrates it15th anniversary this year. The U.S. Small Business Administration estimates shoppers spent $17 billion dollars at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday in 2023.