Summit Community Programs

Miracle on Elm Street is TODAY Join us from 1pm until 5:30pm on the Village Green Event Highlights: Ice Skating ALL DAY Activities - Cookie Decorating, Lantern Making, Letters to Santa, Board Games, story time with Empowering Kids Foundation and Crafts with the Junior League ALL DAY Hot Chocolate from the Summit PAL Gingerbread Bounce House ALL DAY Pictures with Santa - 2:30-4:30pm and post arrival at 5:15pm Christmas Magician - 3:30-4:15pm Hawaiian Christmas Dance Party - 4:30-5:15pm Santa Arrives - 5:15pm This event is sponsored by Dwell New Jersey and the Summit PAL

The City of Summit is thrilled to announce that construction is beginning on the community’s first all-abilities playground at Mabie Playground, located on the Village Green in downtown Summit. Work will begin on Monday, November 3, and the playground will be closed through early spring 2026 as it is transformed into an inclusive, state-of-the-art recreation space for all residents and visitors to enjoy. While Mabie Playground is under construction, families are encouraged to visit the playgrounds at Memorial Field, Wilson Park, and Tatlock Park, all of which remain open and ready for play. “This new playground is an incredible asset to our community and is located right in the heart of our city,” said Mayor Elizabeth Fagan. “We can’t wait to see families out there enjoying a space specially designed for all to enjoy and use, regardless of age or ability.” When completed, the new Mabie Playground will feature wheelchair-accessible dual-lane ziplines, a 100 percent wheelchair-accessible, sensory-friendly main play structure, and a communication board with pictures to support inclusive play. A highlight of the new design will be the signal beacon climber, a creative nod to Summit’s history and to the beacon featured in the city’s logo. Assistant Director of Community Programs David Guida shared that the Department of Community Programs Advisory Board sought extensive community input in developing the playground’s design. “We gathered feedback from seniors, parents of children with special needs, and residents from the surrounding neighborhood to make sure the new Mabie Playground truly meets the needs of our community,” said Guida. “This is an exciting time for all of our residents and visitors, and we can’t wait to share the space with everyone.” The City of Summit thanks residents for their patience during construction and looks forward to celebrating the grand reopening of the new Mabie Playground in spring 2026

The City of Summit’s annual Fiesta Latina event will be held on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 6PM on the Village Green, located at 356 Broad Street in Summit. All members of the public are invited to this free community event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Attendees can enjoy musical and dance performances, as well as cultural demonstrations. 6:10pm - Flamenco Flavor will join us for an exciting dance demonstration. 6:30pm-8:00pm - Latin band De Tierra Caliente will perform in concert on the main stage.

Summit Has Pride is one week from today, we hope you’ll join us! The Summit Department of Community Programs is hosting its annual LGBTQ+ Pride Month event, Summit Has Pride, on Saturday, June 7, from 3:30PM to 7PM on the Village Green, located at 356 Broad Street in Summit. Summit Has Pride celebrates the LGBTQ+ community in Summit and surrounding areas. The event will begin at 3:45PM with musical performance by Summit resident and former The Voice television series contestant Sabrina Dias; at 4:15 the event will continue with a drag show featuring Octavia Anyae, followed by a musical performance by Cantor Fair of Temple Sinai at 5:00PM, and a concert with White Wedding at 5:15PM. The event will include educational displays from organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community. There will be special art activities, a temporary tattoo booth, and more. The event is free and open to all members of the public. This event is sponsored by Gilead, Atlantic Health, the Jewish Federation of MetroWest New Jersey, Saint John’s Lutheran Church, and Temple Sinai of Summit. For more information, please visit . To become involved as a sponsor or non-profit vendor, please contact David Guida at [email protected].

Join us tomorrow from 2-5:30 at our annual AAPI event on the Village Green.

Take a look at our upcoming City events before our main calendar of summer events start! Be sure to mark your calendars for these amazing celebrations.

Join us tonight for this special celebration of 100 years of recreation! Roller skating at the Rec!

We’re two days away from the Summit Fourth of July Celebration. We have a stellar entertainment schedule planned for the festivities. All beginning at 12:00pm with the Flag Raising Ceremony. From there, the food court opens and there is non-stop entertainment all day long. 12:00 - Food court opens 12:00 - Flag raising ceremony 12:15 - Decorated bike parade for children 12:45 - Announcement of bike parade winners 1:00 - Owls and Lions in concert 2:45 - Arena Rock Tribute Band in concert 4:00 - Children’s Music 5:00 - Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns 6:30 - Magic Show 7:30 - Daddy Pop in concert 9:00 - Lowering of the colors 9:15 - Fireworks We are so excited to be joined by some amazing food trucks this year including Pizza Vita Puras Paletas Mozzarepas Gina’s Greek Bites Danny’s Soft Serve Twelve Truck Pop’s Chicken Mike Passero’s Ice Cream Truck Yummy Food Truck Additionally, there will be bounce houses, the toxic drop, giant slides, a game trailer, the spinner all day long! Bounce Passes are available for purchase for $30 - do rides, inflatables and games all day! There are NO REFUNDS FOR BAND PURCHASES! The bands are discounted to $20 after 6:30pm. We want to thank our headline sponsor Bristol Myers Squibb!

Happy International Women’s Day from the DCP! Be sure to join us from 4-6PM at the Summit Community Center for our Summit Women #InspireInclusion event. Out 2024 shirts will be available for purchase at the event.

Our inaugural Women’s History Month event will be held on International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, from 4PM to 6PM at the Summit Community Center located at 100 Morris Avenue. The event is open to all members of the public. The event will begin with a panel discussion from 4PM to 4:30PM on inspirational Summit women whose impacts span many interdisciplinary areas. Contributions of Summit women past and present will be discussed. From 4:30PM to 5:30PM there will be four 15-minute breakout activities that participants will rotate through: Healthy Mind: Yoga and meditation Healthy Body: Snack preparation by Ilyse and Amanda from GRACE Safety: Women’s self-defense presentation by the Summit Police Department Female Empowerment and “GIRL POWER” bracelets with Mayor Fagan and Council President Allen All attendees are encouraged to bring a photo of a woman who has inspired them. From 5:30PM to 6PM attendees will be able to share their chosen photo and individual with the group and place their photo on the Wall of Inspiration. A group photo of all attendees will be taken at the end of the event. The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required and can be completed online through Civic Rec at /NJ/summit-nj/catalog/index/2056de053e42ea37a33c2cf3d465a191?filter=c2VhcmNoPXdvbWVuJ3MlMjBoaXN0b3J5. Summit Women #InspireInclusion t-shirts are available for purchase for $20 through the online registration.

We are excited to host a Black History Month Celebration event on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, from 12PM to 5PM at the Summit Community Center located at 100 Morris Avenue. The event will feature programming for seniors and children; the event is free for Summit Seniors Club members and children in Grades 1-8 enrolled in the Open Gym program. The event fee for non-members is $10. Pre-registration for all participants is required; the registration deadline is Friday, February 16, 2024. Programming will include: •Pizza served for lunch for all participants from 12PM to 12:30PM. •Black History Month story and craft for children offered by the Summit Free Public Library from 12:30PM to 1:30PM. •Make pancakes with Buttermee Pancakes’ Shanyah Griffith-Rumph and learn what it is like to be a Black business owner. (Seniors 12:30PM-1:30PM, children 1:30PM-2:30PM). •Polycarp Flowers’ Daica Skrobala will lead a workshop to recreate works from Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson using colorful florals. (Seniors 1:30PM-2:30PM, children 2:30PM-3:30PM). •Fitness classes for seniors lead by a local Black fitness instructor from 2:30PM to 3:30PM. •A special conversation with Anthony Ellis, author of Climbing the Summit, a story of growing up Black in Summit in the 90’s. (Seniors and children, 4PM-5PM) Please note, the DCP will host a regular “School’s Out” camp on February 20 for children in Grades 1-8 from 8:30AM to 5:30PM. Camp programming will follow the schedule listed above, in addition to a Black History Month movie screening and gym activities in the morning. The registration deadline is Friday, February 16, 2024. Pre-register online via Civic Rec •Seniors Open Gym Members: /NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI5NTI0MDI= •Youth Open Gym Members: /NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI5NTI0MDE= •Non-Members: /NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI5NTI3MTY= Please call the Summit Department of Community Programs at 908-277-2932 or email [email protected] with any questions.

We hope to see everyone on the Village Green at 1pm today for the Summit PAL Pet Show!