Las Vegas City Wire

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there is free parking at lunchtime in downtown Las Vegas, the city announced. It's part of a trial program to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Free weekday parking for lunch in downtown Las Vegas," Twitter user Pam Stuckey tweeted Oct. 21. "The city says it's starting a trial program that offers free parking Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.”

The program continues through Dec. 31, according to the city's website.

"All on-street parking meters in Fremont East will be free as well as parking in a dozen downtown lots in an area bounded by Stewart on the north, Las Vegas Boulevard on the west, Tenth Street on the east and Carson Avenue on the south," according to the city. "The Park on Fremont, El Cortez and Downtown Project are contributing their parking lots to the effort, as well."

The city is supporting local businesses as they recover financially from the pandemic with the program, the website said.

The two hours of free time during lunch hour won't prevent you from getting a ticket if the lunch last longer, the city said.

"We designed the program for typical lunch hours, but if you stay longer than 1 p.m., you can use the Flowbird app at 1 p.m. to pay for any additional time," the city said. "Just remember your plate number and what lot or street you parked on."