Evanston Offers Free Holiday Street Parking
The city's Holiday Parking: Free for 2026 promotion provides up to two hours of free street parking per day through the Park Evanston app.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Seasonal Events
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The City of Evanston will offer a free holiday street parking promotion from Nov. 25, 2026 through Jan. 1, 2027. Park Evanston app users can redeem the code Evanston2026 for up to two hours of free street parking per day.
Why it matters
The promotion lowers parking costs for shoppers and visitors in Evanston during the holiday season. The city covers the parking cost and the transaction fees that normally apply to app sessions.
Each daily session is capped at a total value of $4.47 and covers up to two hours of street parking. Unused time does not carry over to a later session.
The players
City of Evanston
The municipal government of Evanston, Illinois, which runs the Park Evanston parking system and sponsors the promotion.
Park Evanston
The city's mobile parking app, which users must use to redeem the free parking code.
The details
Users download the Park Evanston app for iOS or Android, select parking zone, plate number, and session length, then tap Redeem and enter the code Evanston2026 on the Parking details/Payment details screen. Free parking is only available through the app, and payment is still required when using a pay box.
Timeline
Nov. 25, 2026: Holiday free parking promotion begins.
Jan. 1, 2027: Holiday free parking promotion ends.
Seasonal Patterns
The promotion is timed to the holiday shopping window, a recurring period when cities use parking incentives to support downtown business activity. It runs from late November through the New Year, matching the typical seasonal peak for retail traffic.
Residents and visitors can park on Evanston streets for up to two hours per day at no cost by redeeming the code in the Park Evanston app. Payment is still required at pay boxes, so the free session only applies through the app.
The takeaway
Planning a holiday trip downtown is easier when you redeem the Evanston2026 code in the Park Evanston app before you park, since unused time does not carry over.
What happens next
The promotion ends Jan. 1, 2027, after which standard Park Evanston parking rates will apply again.
Further reading
Explore more seasonal events happening across Evanston this winter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Evanston RoundTable.
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Would you download a parking app to get free holiday parking downtown?
