National Night Out, held the first Tuesday in August every year, is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch.

The event encourages neighbors to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening getting to know their neighbors. Communities participate in cookouts, games, flashlight parades and other outdoor activities.

Suffolk has finished in the top five communities in its population category nationwide for the last six years in a row. The competition is based on a video of the event and a notebook of materials relating to it.

National Night Out is meant to build police-community partnerships and help neighbors get to know one another. But the benefits don’t last just for one night — National Night Out can help communities come together all year long.

To that end, this year’s Project 365 — the yearlong focus of improving police-community partnerships — is “Investing in the Safety of Our Communities is in Everyone’s Best Interest.”

See the community listing below to find the closest celebration to you. For more information on what activities will be going on or other information, visit www.suffolknno.org.