Free city centre parking is set to hit Chester for the festive season

Chester BID are reviving the free parking scheme at Chester Racecourse as part of the Christmas offering for the city.

From Saturday 27 November, and for every Saturday and Sunday until 19 December, Chester BID has arranged for Chester’s racecourse parking to be free to all. The city centre car park will also be free on Christmas Eve for all last-minute shopping and revelling requirements. Entry to the car park is available from 10am, with last entry at 6pm.

When Chester BID ran a similar free parking scheme in December 2020 to encourage shoppers back into the city centre, in 9 days of free parking, 3000 cars used the programme.

Emily Ghazarian, marketing and events manager, Chester BID, said: ‘We are so delighted to be offering Christmas visitors to the city a free parking spot over the weekends. It means families can park up without a worry and go and enjoy the restaurants and shopping without having to add to the cost!

‘We have launched a new Santa’s Grotto in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre this year. Chester has some amazing parades and with events on at the cathedral and Storyhouse as well as our beloved Christmas markets, Chester is really alive with the magic of Christmas.’

Chester BID has historically provided free Christmas parking schemes from 2017 onwards and over the Covid lockdown period in March 2020, worked with Chester Racecourse to offer over 800 free daily spaces for essential workers and shoppers to be able to park in the city centre.

Carl Critchlow, BID Manager, said: ‘We all know the adversity our city centre businesses have faced over the last two years. It’s been amazing this Christmas to see the city returning to previous form, with shoppers choosing the high street over online shopping and friends enjoying days and nights out together.

‘It’s important to us at the BID to keep on facilitating the sorts of initiatives that make it easier for people to visit Chester and – to stay longer than they might have done - putting money back into the high street and supporting local, independent business.’