Nothing beats being outdoors for a celebration with family and friends on warm, San Diego summer evenings. It’s even more fun when the whole neighborhood shows up.

This summer, we’re taking back our parks for San Diegans of all ages with our “Parks After Dark” series of free community events that are sure to have something for the whole family.

Grab your kids and head out to one of four neighborhood parks across San Diego for the San Diego Parks Foundation’s newest “Come Play Outside” program.

Join us at the City Heights, Linda Vista, or Skyline Hills Recreation Centers every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night this summer for the biggest and best free community parties in town.

The City and County of San Diego are offering a wide range of supervised activities and safe services to neighborhood children and adults that will create lasting memories and new community connections.

Whether you want to get your sweat on in exercise classes, dance to live music, grab a bite from a food truck, or play games with the kiddos – there’s something for everyone at “Parks After Dark.”

“Parks After Dark” is based on a popular program that’s been hosted by the County of Los Angeles and its City partners for more than a decade. It’s designed to positively activate public spaces to reduce crime and create social cohesion by bringing joy to the community and create safe places to play this summer.

Here’s what people are saying about L.A.’s successful program from a Prevention Institute report:

“People assume that you put a bunch of kids from rival neighborhoods together, all hell breaks loose,” Meliza Hernandez said. “But Parks After Dark was nothing but love. It was awesome. The parents came back and said, ‘Thank you for taking a chance on our kids. No one has done this before. How do we keep this going? Please don’t stop.’”

We couldn’t be more excited to launch this program in San Diego this year, made possible by the generosity of Chair Nathan Fletcher, San Diego County Board of Supervisors; the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency; and Price Philanthropies Foundation.

Be sure to bring your family and join your friends at the most exciting new event to come to our parks this summer!

Check out our website to learn more.