Free Christmas parking arrangements revealed for Mayo town
There will be free parking in council car parks each morning in the run-up to Christmas.
Free parking will be provided in Castlebar each morning in the run-up to Christmas.
The Christmas parking arrangements for the county town were decided upon by local councillors. Members previously agreed to introduce free parking during December as an initiative to support local traders in the run-up to Christmas. Last year, free parking was offered each afternoon from 2pm from Friday, 6 December to Friday, 27 in Market Square, Castle Street, Spencer Street and Pavilion Road car parks.
This arrangement differed from previous years, where free parking was provided in the mornings. The afternoon schedule was intended to align Castlebar MD with other Municipal Districts.
However, feedback from Traffic Wardens indicated that the afternoon approach created significant challenges. Car parks and entry points experienced severe congestion, causing backlogs onto adjoining streets.
Spaces were largely unavailable to those seeking free parking in the afternoons, likely because vehicles parked earlier in the day remained in place throughout. The overlap with school finishing times and increased traffic volumes further compounded delays and impacted the free flow of traffic through the town.
Based on these observations, it was recommended that the initiative revert to previous years and apply from 8.30am to 12.30pm daily from Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 27 2025.
