Parking will be free in downtown Iowa City on Thanksgiving and parking in the ramps will also be free on Saturday. You’ll still have to feed the meters and pay to park in a ramp on Friday, when spaces may well fill up. In addition to the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy of Black Friday, it’s also the final home football game for the Hawkeyes, who are playing Nebraska. Kickoff at Kinnick will be at 6:30 p.m.
Parking in the ramps is free on Saturday to encourage people to do their holiday shopping downtown, according to the city. That encouragement does not extend as far as metered parking on the streets, however, so you’ll still need to pay to park in those spots.
Anyone who hasn’t parked downtown since June should prepare themselves for the city’s new parking prices. In May, the Iowa City Council voted to increase parking fees at ramps and metered spaces. It was the first increase in parking fees in 11 years, and downtown businesses and members of the public protested. In September, the council made some changes to the new parking fee structure.
Parking in a ramp now costs $2 per hour, although the first hour of parking is now free at all ramps. The cost of metered parking in the central downtown area decreased to $2.25 per hour. That price only applies to metered spaces within the area bordered by Iowa Avenue, Gilbert Street, Burlington Street, Clinton Street and Capitol Street. Parking at metered spots outside that area now cost $3 per hour.
There will be no bus service on Thursday, and because of the Iowa-Nebraska football game on Friday, buses will be running on the Saturday schedule instead of their normal weekday one. Iowa City buses have been fare-free since August 2023.
All city offices and facilities in Iowa City will be closed on Thursday in observance of Thanksgiving. Most will remain closed on Friday, but the Iowa City Public Library will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday.
There will be no garbage, recycling or organics collections on Thanksgiving. Residents whose normal collection day is Thursday should put their bins out on Friday morning, when curbside service resumes.
