Free Fun Nationwide on National Night Out
A lesser known annual event that I always enjoy is National Night Out. It is a free event for everyone in cities across the entire United States. This will explain to you more details about the event, our experiences with it and our favorite towns we have visited for the event in Maryland and New Jersey.
What is National Night Out?
National Night Out is an event that happens in communities across the United States. It was designed as a way for communities to connect with law enforcement as well as their neighbors. The campaign started in 1984.
When is it held?
It is held annually on the first Tuesday in August. This year that will be on August 6th, 2024. The times can vary by town but they are generally in the evening.
In Texas and some other areas it will be celebrated on the first Tuesday in October.
Where can I find a town near me?
Go to the map here to find out which towns are participating: National Night Out United States Map. When you click on your state there will be a list of towns that come up. The best way I have found to stay up to date on event information is on Township Facebook pages.
Tips Before Attending National Night Out
Check what activities the event may include before attending.
There may be things you need to bring or wear. Some events recommend you bring a food donation or may recommend bringing a blanket or chair to sit on. Others may have activities such as bounce houses where you would want to make sure to wear appropriate attire.
Before leaving for the event check if they tell you about anywhere specific to park.
Sometimes the larger events may require you to park off site and take a bus to the event or they may have a parking lot across the street from the event location.
Verify event details before leaving.
If the weather is spotty it can be good to make sure that the event is not postponed or if the times may have changed.
Figure out what you are doing for your dinner that night.
While most events we have attended have free food they can vary in terms of food quantity or what is given. See if you want to pack a few snacks or your dinner if you are going to an event that does not offer free food. The few we have attended that did not have free food still had food trucks so it may be good to bring some cash if you did not pack anything. So far there was only one year where we had to eat anything extra in addition to the food at the event.
Have a back-up event.
We always have details for two events ready before heading out. This is helpful in case parking ends up being too tough at an event or if one might end up being canceled.
Pack bug spray and glow sticks.
The events usually occur in the evening and are often held at parks. Bug spray is helpful and glow sticks can help you find each other easily if the event ends after dark.
What can I expect to find at National Night Out?
Each town offers different things for their event. Some things in the past we have seen included cook-outs, free food, free giveaways, free school supplies and free ice cream. Events also offer activities such as going onto fire trucks, lawn games, arcade style games and outdoor movies. Each event usually has at least one thing run by law enforcement and first responders. Sometimes we have found parking to take a little while so be sure to factor this in to when you are planning to reach an event. We have been attending for six different years in New Jersey and Maryland.
How can this be educational?
These events always have a variety of first responders. I have talked to fire fighters, EMS, the police and more. They usually love answering questions. Have a list of questions for them before you go to an event. Many events also have different vehicles as well so this is a great opportunity to learn about fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Many times they let adults and kids sit in these as well. If you are attending with kids people often give out things such as educational coloring books and fire safety plans. These are great things to work on with your kids at home later. Sometimes there are other organizations there as well such as libraries or environmental groups.
My Experience
Prior to having kids I still enjoyed this event immensely. While many events are geared towards families these are geared towards communities so I did not feel awkward attending without kids. Everyone is generally in a good mood when attending due to the nature of the event so it is a great opportunity to meet people in your town or one nearby. Since the event is always in the evening and on a weekday it is easy to attend after work.
After having kids I have enjoyed it even more. While many events are fun they can often get too expensive depending on the amount that is charged for different aspects. This is a great one since at the most the only thing I have usually seen with a cost is some food trucks at a few of the events. Often even the food is free. I have included events from our favorite towns below. Keep reading to see which event you would like to attend!
Our Favorite National Night Out Events in New Jersey
Deptford
Back in 2021 we headed to Deptford to celebrate National Night Out. This was my first time attending one of these events with both of the kids and they were blown away. As we walked towards the event we were already given free hot dogs from a hot dog truck. Once we arrived the kids had a fun time painting some ceramic butterfly pieces. My daughter was excited to eat a Philly Pretzel while waiting to get a balloon animal. My son loved our red National Night Out balloon. The kids also loved all of the vehicles there. After that there was even a truck with free Mr. Softee. This was the kids first time having it and they thought it was very tasty. We even met Spiderman and Elsa! Afterwards the kids talked about the event for a month and it was definitely their favorite event of that year.
Deptford 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday) This event will be held rain or shine.
Location: Deptford Recreation Center
Address: 52 Montague Lane, Deptford, NJ 08096
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Website with Flyer: Deptford Township National Night Out
West Deptford 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday) This event will be held rain or shine.
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: RiverWinds Community Center
Address: 1000 Riverwinds Dr, West Deptford, NJ 08086
Website with Information: West Deptford Police Department National Night Out
There will be food from Chick-Fil-A and Philly Soft Pretzels handed out in the main entrance lobby. There will be multiple county agencies attending such as the West Deptford Fire Department. There will also be balloon animals and face painting.
Burlington City
Last year we headed to the Burlington City waterfront to enjoy their National Night Out event. It actually ended up being two events in one. During the summer Burlington City actually has Food Truck Tuesdays every Tuesday from 4 pm to dusk where food can be purchased, music can be enjoyed and things can be purchased from vendors since the event is also run through the Arts Guild NJ. We arrived and first walked past this fun event with lots of locals. Then we saw lots of first responders, police officers and more at the event. The kids had fun playing some of the inflatable games. We got some freebies such as hand sanitizer and small first aid kits. There were even free backpacks and school supplies available for anyone who needed them for school. After this we got some free ice cream. Our favorite part was walking right next to the waterfront and sitting on a bench with our ice cream. It was relaxing to watch the boats sailing on the water and the kids were elated to see a tugboat!
Burlington City 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: Postponed to August 12, 2024 (Monday)
Time: 6 pm to 9 pm
Location: Riverfront Promenade
525 High St, Burlington, NJ 08016
Website with Information: City of Burlington Police Department National Night Out
This year the event has added even more things. There will be free food, free backpacks and school supplies, emergency vehicles, a dunk tank, giveaways and more. The movie If will also be playing outdoors starting at 8:30 pm. There will be free snacks provided but people are requested to bring their own blankets or chairs.
Burlington Township
After we headed to National Night Out in Burlington City we still had some energy left so we decided to head over to Green Acres Park. We first sat in multiple firetrucks. After that we got giveaways from different booths.
The kids’ favorite part of the event was the Bookmobile from the Burlington County Library. This was a mini library on wheels! We had our library card on us so we were even able to check out a few books. Library staff was also available in case people wanted to sign up for a library card. I enjoyed trying to shoot the most hoops in their inflatable basketball game.
We got to the car show in the nick of time before it ended. This is always my favorite time to see cars as we could then hear their engines as they drove away. As the event was winding down there was even an outdoor movie!
Burlington Township 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 6 pm to 10 pm
Location: Green Acres Park
Address: 1001 Old York Rd (Green Acres II), Burlington, NJ 08016
Website: Burlington Township Police National Night Out
See the link above to see maps for where to park. Bring a non perishable food item or canned good in order to receive a free item from Mr. Softee in exchange. The movie playing will be Kung Fu Panda 4.
Delran
In 2018 it was my first time going to Delran’s National Night Out with my one year old. Her favorite part was having to take a bus to get to the event from where the parking lot. At the event we had fun playing games such as suction cup lawn darts, Frog Bog, Tip-a-Troll and Coke Bottle Ring Toss. My daughter loved getting some goodies at the event which included a bucket and shovel, coloring pages, a balloon animal and water squirters.
We returned to Delran this year for part of their National Night Out event. It was a blast! There were tons of free things for us to do. The kids had fun playing multiple inflatable games. There were carnival games such as Hoop Shot and Big Mouth. There were multiple sports games such as a Sports Challenge soccer game, basketball ones, football ones and a baseball one where you could test the speed of your pitch. Kids of all ages were having fun with these and even adults as well. The kids went on an inflatable obstacle course. We stopped by multiple tables from places such as Jersey Mike’s and the Delran Green Team.
At the end of the night we joined the dance party in front of the stage with Don’t Call Me Francis before heading home. They played a wide range of music from Steely Dan to Earth, Wind and Fire. There were other fun songs such as What I Like About You, Footloose and Jump On It. We did not have time for everything but some other fun things there included outdoor gaming from Game Royale, a bounce house, large inflatable slides, balloon animals and a fireworks show.
Here is a video of the event in 2024: Delran National Night Out 2024.
Delran 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: Postponed to August 13, 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 6 pm - 10 pm
Location: Delran Community Park
Address: 12 Hartford Rd, Delran, NJ 08075
Website: Delran Township National Night Out
There will be food trucks selling food. Don’t Call Me Francis will be playing a show starting at 7:30 pm and fireworks will be at 9:30 pm. There will be a magician, video game truck, photobooth, inflatables and more! Parking will be at Delran High School, Calvary Church and Millbridge Elementary School. There will be shuttle access from Resurrection Parish and the Municipal Building.
Edgewater Park
We just attended this event and it was great! The kids especially loved the music from the dj, bounce house and free Kona Ice. They also went on the inflatable obstacle course five times and sat inside of a fire truck. I loved the tasty free cheeseburgers. There were multiple vendors and a lemonade stand. We also saw that other kids were on the playground, getting their faces painted and getting balloon animals. The older kids were having a lot of fun with the log slam where they had to try and stand on these small platforms and try not to get hit by a log or “eaten by an alligator.” We got some cool pens from the Edgewater Park Township Police Department and coloring books to use at home.
Edgewater Park 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 5, 2024 (Monday)
Time: 5:30 pm - 8 pm
Location: Weimann Field
Website: Edgewater Park Township Police Department National Night Out
This event will have a bike auction, food, music, vendors, bounce houses and more! Go to site above to see parking lot locations near the field.
Our Favorite National Night Out Events in Maryland
Westminster
In 2016 I decided to head to Westminster for National Night Out since it was one of our favorite towns. I went to Dutterer Family Park and got some free drinks and a book. There was a colorful pathway to walk on. My favorite part was the free make your own sundae bar. I sat on a park bench in front of the fountain to eat mine. It was a nice event that was a little more laid back. Everyone attending was very genial. A firefighter also showed me different components used on a fire truck at the event.
Westminster 2024 National Night Out Events
There will actually be five National Night Out Locations in Westminster this year.
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday)
Location: Belle Grove Square
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: Bishop’s Garth Apartment Parking Lot
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Location: Carroll Lutheran Village Krug Chapel Auditorium
Time: 6:45 pm to 7:45 pm
Location: Dutterer’s Park & Pavilion Area
Time: 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Location: South Hills Ct. Overflow Parking
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Website: Westminster Police Department National Night Out
Nottingham
This was an easy event to attend in the parking lot of a community. There was a bounce house for people who had kids. There was a Splatoon Game Truck and free drinks. My favorite part was eating the tasty free food from their cookout. I was also excited to get a free t-shirt.
Nottingham 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: Under the Pavilion at Overlea Rec and Fullerton Elementary School
Address: 4304 Fullerton Ave, Nottingham, MD 21236
Website: Linover Improvement Association National Night Out
There will be food, animals to see and more! There will be a bike raffle for two kid bikes. Echoes of Nature will be attending and there will be food from Frank’s Pizza.
Baltimore
I attended this event in the past prior to having kids. I had a great time! There were multiple things to sit in including a police cruiser and the cab of a Semi truck. There were lots of booths where people could meet different members of the community. My favorite part was getting to go inside the Baltimore County Emergency Management Vehicle.
Baltimore Holland Hills 2024 National Night Out Event
Date: August 6, 2024 (Tuesday)
Time: 6 pm to 8 pm
Location: Dead end of Radecke Ave. (Park)
Website: Baltimore County Police National Night Out
There will be a community cook-out.
Map of the Best Locations in Maryland and New Jersey
Where can I find out which towns are participating in my state?
Visit the National Night Out Website. Scroll to the bottom and click on the map of the United States. There will be a list of participating towns in the state. After that the easiest way to find out current event information is usually to check on the Facebook Page for the local police department.
National Night Out is an awesome event where you can meet members of your community as well as local law enforcement. Be sure to not miss out on the fun! Remember to verify event information on the event website or on social media before attending in case of schedule or location changes.