BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Triple-digit heat didn’t keep Bakersfield families from turning out at Yokuts Park for National Night Out, where residents met local law enforcement, explored emergency vehicles and connected with public safety agencies.
The Bakersfield Police Department celebrated it’s National Night Out in Bakersfield on August 4, 2026.
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Families filled the park despite temperatures still in the triple digits, visiting booths from agencies including probation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the fire department, the SWAT team and the bomb squad.
Eric Celedon emphasized the event’s focus on public safety while also pointing to the conditions officers work in during the summer heat.
“The safety of our community is absolutely at the highest of our priority list. But at the same time I also want to remind everybody us out here having a good time in the heat is nothing compared to what that officer out there is experiencing standing on the pavement, getting in foot chases and doing all these things that we have to in this very same heat to keep our community safe,” Celedon said.
Celedon also said the heat faded into the background for many attendees as they walked around the event.
“Well I mean it is hot but it’s like kind of like cool just being around you forget about the about the about the heat you know walking around and looking everything and you know just seeing stuff right here so it’s cool,” Celedon said.
The Bakersfield Police Department celebrated it’s National Night Out in Bakersfield on August 4, 2026. KBAK/KBFX
The event also marked a shift back to the national August date for National Night Out. For the past few years, Bakersfield held its celebration in October after receiving permission to move it from the national August date because of the city’s summer heat.
This year, the department decided to return the event to August, saying it wanted to spread out its larger community events. Halloween is now serving as its major October event, while the department also weighed staffing and public safety resources.
“We really looked at the manpower it takes to do all these things,” Celedon said. “We thought it’d be a better idea to move this to August, that way when the fair time comes around we’re able to do everything we can to keep that as safe as possible.”
The Bakersfield Police Department celebrated it’s National Night Out in Bakersfield on August 4, 2026.
KBAK/KBFX
The department said there were plenty of conversations about whether August was the right time to hold the event. While it could not control the weather, it planned for the heat with shade from trees, cooling fans, water and on-site medical crews.
“We also have our first aid partners in Hall Ambulance and the fire department out here. With all their equipment in the event somebody did the medical care we could get it to them immediately,” Celedon said.