Mayor Martin J. Walsh and his police commissioner visited city neighborhoods Monday evening to celebrate National Night Out, an annual festival to highlight partnerships between officers and the community.

Walsh and Commissioner William B. Evans met with hundreds of residents at stops including the Brighton Commons, Iacono Field in Hyde Park, Adams Park in Roslindale, Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain, Almont Park in Mattapan, and the Shelburne Community Center in Roxbury.

Residents at every stop were treated to food, music, and games to mark the collaboration between neighborhood groups and police.

At Adams Park, a DJblasted music and children played with balloons and munched on cotton candy, among other activities.

Walsh, in brief remarks, thanked attendees and police for promoting “mutual respect’’ in city neighborhoods. He also touted statistics showing that crime rates are falling in Boston.

“These are things that we should celebrate,’’ Walsh said. “We have to continue to work at relationships with police every day. . . . We have to continue that mutual respect.’’

Evans also spoke and thanked the public for supporting his officers.

“We try our hardest. We work hard for the community,’’ Evans said.

Residents who gathered at the park gave the event high marks.

“I think it’s awesome,’’ said Kathy Marmanillo, 27, of Roslindale, whose 4-year-old daughter, Kaylie, held a princess balloon she had just received from a clown.

“I think the community coming together for the kids, it’s pretty thoughtful,’’ Marmanillo said.

Robin Williams of Hyde Park took a break from the fun on a park bench and said she has attended Night Out events for more than 20 years.

“Everybody comes out,’’ said Williams, a retired teacher. “Hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, water, all the freebies.’’

This year’s National Night Out comes on the heels of controversial killings of suspects by police in Louisiana, Minnesota, and elsewhere, as well as retaliatory slayings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, another speaker at Adams Park, noted that elsewhere in the country, “the police and the citizens are divided.’’

“That’s not the way we do things here in Boston,’’ Conley said. “We work together to make the city great, to make the city safe.’’

That work includes crime prevention efforts with city youth, according to Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, who also addressed the crowd.

“Our mission is to keep our kids out of the criminal justice system, keep them in school, keep them out of trouble, so that they can then grow up and become productive citizens just like you,’’ he said.

In Roxbury, festivities included a hip-hop dance performance from Derrick Farley, 16, as well as spirited games of musical chairs among children and adults.

Farley said afterward that it “felt pretty good’’ to perform on stage in front of friends, and that the Night Out events are beneficial to the city.

“I think it helps a lot of people get on the right track to where they need to be,’’ he said.

Walsh, in remarks to the Roxbury crowd, again stressed the importance of police and community partnerships while citing the downward-trending crime statistics.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but [it] shows that Boston is headed in the right direction,’’ Walsh said.

His words were echoed by Evans, who said in Roxbury, “I don’t think anyone has better police-community relations than the Boston Police Department.’’

Other Night Out events are planned for Tuesday in East Boston, Chinatown, the North End, South End, South Boston, and Dorchester.

Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.