With only six weeks to go before the 2015 National Night Out celebration, the time is now to start planning for the party.

National Night Out is an annual initiative of the National Association of Town Watch. The community-building event promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie with the goal of making neighborhoods safer, better places to live. It is celebrated internationally by more than 40 million people in more than 16,000 communities.

This year’s National Night Out will be celebrated on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 4. Many communities mark the occasion with cookouts, children’s activities, entertainment, educational initiatives and more.

Tonight’s community meeting will offer communities the chance to officially sign up to be included in this year’s festivities. The first 25 communities will receive a free National Night Out banner for their neighborhood, and all participating events will get visits from city and public safety officials on the night of the big event.

Tonight’s community meeting will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 442 W. Washington St. Visitors will hear advice on how to make the night safe and successful for their community.

The city of Suffolk has brought home a top-five awards in its population category for the neighborhood for nine years running, including several first place awards, one of which was last year. Awards are judged by a national committee based on a video and scrapbook submitted by the participating localities.

For more information, visit www.suffolknno.com.