PROVIDENCE — The season for relaxed holiday parking restrictions has begun in Providence, as the city once again tries to lure shoppers to prime retail locations.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., meter checkers will not issue tickets for overtime violations at metered parking spaces or at parking spaces with time limitations in popular retail areas downtown and on the East Side. Cars parked in illegal spaces, including crosswalks and tow zones, will still be ticketed.

But the program is not as extensive as last year, when downtown merchants joined with the city to offer four hours of parking for $5 at 25 Providence parking lots, with a validation sticker from 33 participating stores.

Last year’s downtown parking program was sponsored by the Providence Foundation and the Downtown Merchants Association. Participating merchants paid $50 to help offset the costs involved with the program. It was intended to compete with the ease of parking at Providence Place mall.

This year, the relaxed parking areas in downtown Providence will stretch from Steeple Street west to Route 95, Route 95 south to Route 195; Route 195 east to Point Street; Point Street to Wickenden Street; north on South Main to North Main Street at Steeple Street.

South Main Street, from Wickenden Street to Packet Street and North Main Street, from Thomas Street to Park Row will also be affected, as will Wayland Square and Thayer Street.