The national Night Out event is Tuesday night, where neighbors everywhere are encouraged to block off a part of their street for a block party to get to know their neighbors better. Seattle Police Department encourages everyone to participate, because this kind of community building can help cut down on crime.
You can register your block party on SPD’s Night Out website, add it to a citywide map, and print Night Out materials to hand out to neighbors and post on whatever you use to block off your street.
Neighbors in Lower Phinney at last year’s Night Out event.
Here are a few rules and suggestions from SPD:
Please remember that arterials, bus routes and intersections cannot be blocked, and that your street closure can only cover a single block.
You must put barriers at the ends of the streets to be blocked, and display signs indicating this is a Night Out event and the hours the street will be closed.
The City does not provide barriers, so you need to come up with something on your own. Most people use sawhorses, garbage or recycling cans, folding chairs, etc. DO NOT BLOCK THE STREET WITH CARS!
Designate a few neighbors to keep an eye on the street ends, should an emergency vehicle or neighbor need access to the block.
Please notify everyone on the block about the event in advance. Forms, invitations and reminders are available on our website.
If your event includes music, please be considerate of surrounding neighbors especially if your music is amplified.
The official hours for Night Out are 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., with most gatherings occurring from 7 pm – 9 pm. If you begin earlier you may interfere with commute times.
