The start of the holiday shopping season begins this weekend and city leaders in Burlington are trying to entice consumers to head to Church Street. They're offering free parking on the weekends in two city-owned garages.

The garage off of Cherry Street, next to the old Macy's weekend, and the garage off of College Street have free parking every Saturday until December 27th. Officials say it's only a 3-5 minute walk to Church Street from those garages.

The promotion starts Nov. 23.

"Not everyone knows about these garages and they're very underutilized and really trying to get people to go there," said Alex Bunten of the Burlington Business Association.

The city is also offering free four-hour parking in the two garages Monday through Friday. You'll need validation from a downtown retailer or restaurant for that promotion. Parking in all garages is free on Sundays. As always, the Marketplace Garage offers two hours of free parking.