Viral video of amazing Danish park proves we’re doing the playground thing all wrong

Maybe you’ve jokingly considered becoming an ex-pat during the last few years (haven’t we all). But this video will make you seriously consider abandoning your country of origin—even for just a few moments. Because once you lay eyes on this Danish playground and all of the wonder and magic that exists there (for parents especially), you’ll want to pack your bags for Denmark.

Annie Samples, an American mom living in Copenhagen with her family, recently shared a video educating the rest of the world (plebs) on all the amazing things one can find in a playground in Denmark. Basically, playgrounds in the U.S. and the rest of the world are sorely lacking.

Samples explains that most people who live in Copenhagen reside in apartments, hence why the whole park thing is a huge deal for fresh air and socialization. And—get this—Danish tax dollars go into making their parks as top-notch as possible.

These parks are so much more than playgrounds. There are restaurants, bars (yep), coffee stands, immaculate bathrooms, and so much more. Imagine sipping on a Carlsberg while watching your kids play and no one judging you for it, because everyone else is doing the same thing!

Some parks are even staffed with babysitters and regular instructors to help watch your children or teach them how to play games and ride bikes. There are opportunities to cool off in the water during the warmer months, and skating rinks in the winter.

And because of a previous viral video of Samples’, we know that parents in Denmark are already far, far less anxious than we are because there is virtually no crime. In fact, Denmark is ranked as the third most peaceful country in the world.

So yes, a Denmark playground is a utopia for one and all for so many reasons.

“Overall, I think the city does such a good job of providing the perfect backdrop to let the good times roll,” Samples says.

We couldn’t agree more! Now if only the rest of the world could get on board.

A version of this article was published in February 2023. It has been updated.