Five City parks and recreation centers are coming alive this summer every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night for Parks After Dark, a series of free, outdoor, multicultural and multigenerational celebrations. These special events are full of activities for the entire family and are open to everyone.

The San Diego Parks Foundation, in partnership with the City of San Diego, Price Philanthropies and the Prebys Foundation, announced the fifth annual Parks after Dark summer program, with events beginning June 5 at City Heights Recreation Center, Linda Vista Recreation Center, Memorial Recreation Center, Skyline Hills Recreation Center and Silver Wing Recreation Center.

“Parks After Dark helps create safer, stronger neighborhoods by giving families free, fun activities in their local parks,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “This program creates welcoming spaces where neighbors can connect, children can stay active and families can access community resources. I’m grateful to the San Diego Parks Foundation, the Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies, and the County of San Diego for partnering with the City to continue this valuable program for San Diego families.”

During the summer program, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 5 to 8 p.m., Parks After Dark provides families in San Diego communities with free outdoor music, theater, movies, arts and crafts, games, sports clinics, tournaments, resources from community-based organizations, and free food for children.

Modeled after a successful Los Angeles program that started at three parks in 2010, Parks After Dark is designed to create social cohesion and reduce crime by creating safe spaces in public parks for communities to gather and play on summer nights. Data from the Los Angeles program indicated a 32% decrease in serious and violent crimes between 2009 and 2013 in the program’s three initial park communities.

The San Diego program was launched in 2022 by the San Diego Parks Foundation to provide free, safe summer activities for families in neighborhoods with high crime rates and few activities for kids. In the short time the program has been operating in San Diego, decreases in crime have been noted in the communities that surround Parks After Dark programming sites. Hundreds of children and families come together each week for these special programs.

Registration is not required and all events are free for everyone. Due to holiday observances, there will be no Parks After Dark events on June 19 and July 2-4. Parks After Dark events run through Saturday, Aug. 1, with events at Silver Wing Recreation Center ending July 19.

For more information on Parks After 2026, visit the San Diego Parks Foundation or the Parks and Recreation Department’s event calendar.