What's the Parking Situation Downtown?

Updated August 7, 2023

In all the uproar over paid parking on the Strip, we keep hearing the same comment, that paying for parking in downtown garages is nothing new. But there are two big differences.

First, valet parking is free. Pull up, collect your parking stub, and you're off and running. Sure, you have to tip, but it's a small price to pay for the convenience, especially when the fees to park yourself in the garages are comparable to a valet toke.

And second, when you park downtown, you can validate your ticket in various ways (by a floorman or pit boss, a slot attendant, a restaurant host or manager, a bartender, sometimes even a cashier, though the days of stamping your parking-garage ticket in an easy-access machine at the cage are long gone) and get the fee waived. The downtown model gives legitimate customers an avenue for avoiding the additional fee; the Strip model does not.

For the rundown of fees, go to our Downtown Parking page.