Get Ready, Princeton Community Night Out Is On Tuesday

PRINCETON, NJ – Mark your calendars. Princeton’s Annual Community Night Out has been scheduled for Aug. 5.

The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Community Park Pool.

Hosted by the Princeton Police Department, the free event is a great opportunity to connect with neighbors, meet local first responders, and enjoy a fun, family-oriented evening full of activities, entertainment, and community spirit. The pool will be open for all to use.

Children can also explore police vehicles and equipment.

National Night Out began out of the Philadelphia suburbs. In the 1970s, Matt Peskin volunteered for Lower Merion's neighborhood watch, patrolling his neighborhood and often collaborating with local police. He found the collaboration between law enforcement and civilians to be successful and began collaborating with similar groups, establishing the National Association of Town Watch in 1981.

But Peskin decided something more was needed. So, three years later, the association celebrated the first National Night Out, which involved 400 communities across 23 states.

The annual event has spread to 17,000 communities encompassing 38 million people, according to National Night Out's website. Many of the events combine festivities with education about local police initiatives.

National Night Out typically falls on the first Tuesday of August.