The LEGO Group Invites Everyone to Celebrate World Play Day by Transforming Cities Through Play!

• On June 11 the LEGO Group will put the world in play mode as it celebrates its World Play Day with events in London, Berlin, Boston and Shanghai.
• World Play Day is the LEGO Group’s celebration of the UN’s International Day of Play, a day that it successfully advocated for the UN to adopt to champion and protect children’s right to play.
• Partnering with a powerhouse team of Playmakers - a group of global cutting-edge artists and creators - the LEGO Group is showing how play has the power to transform cities in unexpected ways.
• The LEGO Group and Playmakers will bring to life kids’ wildest ideas for transforming urban spaces, in a global celebration of creative play.
• Kids everywhere can share their ideas through a new Build the Change challenge - with a chance for them to be featured on LEGO.com and shared with decision-makers.

Billund, Denmark – May 7, 2025: The LEGO Group is calling on kids and families around the world to put their cities in play mode on June 11, when it celebrates its first ever World Play Day in honour of the UN’s International Day of Play (IDOP). Last year the LEGO Group, along with global partners, successfully called on the United Nations to adopt IDOP to champion and protect children’s right to play.

On World Play Day the LEGO Group wants to inspire kids to imagine how to make their cities more fun and will bring their ideas to life through events in Berlin, Boston, London, and Shanghai.

Almost a third of children around the world live in urban areas, with that number expected to rise to 70% by 2050, yet modern urban design often overlooks the importance of play, leaving fewer opportunities for spontaneous fun.

Play is fundamental for children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical development and helps them build the skills they need to thrive as they grow up. Urban planners and child development experts increasingly recognize the vital role of play in fostering creativity, social skills, and emotional well-being in future generations.

Over the last few months children around the world have participated in workshops as part of the LEGO Group's Build the Change social impact program, which inspires children to build a brighter future through play. In June, their creative ideas on playful cities will come to life for kids and families to enjoy:

• In Shanghai various locations by the river will be turned into playful immersive experiences.
• In Berlin the LEGO Group will take over local Spätis to provide dynamic and engaging play opportunities, exploring kids’ passions like music and sport
• In Boston the LEGO Group will introduce interactive play moments inspired by local culture in a location where kids are encouraged to reimagine their city through hands on play.
• In London the LEGO Group in partnership with Serpentine will unveil the Play Pavilion, an immersive environment celebrating the creative power of play.

Remi Marcelli, SVP Global Brand Development at the LEGO Group said: "When children are free from the constraints of adult thinking they often conceive the most imaginative and groundbreaking solutions for making urban spaces more engaging and joyful. That’s why we’re providing children with a platform to share their innovative ideas on how they can influence the future of their communities. Play can spark imaginations and change cities for the better, so this World Play Day, we want to encourage families everywhere to join us and put their world in play mode.”

Playmakers Unite
To help bring this to life, the LEGO Group is collaborating with a star-studded cast of Playmakers and a global crew of creators to unleash kids’ playful visions for urban spaces.

Imagine a city designed by kid's imaginations, brought to life by a NASA engineer who builds epic slime volcanoes. On June 11, the LEGO Group is doing just that, partnering with top science and engineering creator Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer and one of the most successful science and engineering creators on YouTube.

Rober is the ultimate inventor-meets-entertainer. Whether he’s launching a record-breaking slime volcano that blasts green goo 250 feet into the sky, or dropping a car 150 feet onto a trampoline made from steel, Kevlar and garage door springs, Mark turns big science into big fun. With 65 million subscribers and videos that regularly pull in over 120 million views – outshining even the most recent Super Bowl – Mark is a master at turning STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) into play.

Joining Rober is a global crew of creators from music, arts, sports and digital culture, with a combined fanbase of over 62M, including: Zoe Wees and Younes Zarou (Germany), Jamad Fiin, Cedric Mitchell, Brandon McCadney (Mad Keys) and Lourdes Villagómez (US), Mulyana (Indonesia), Sha’an D’Anthes (Australia) and Xie Qiongzhi (China) who will be bringing their creative energy and influence to show kids everywhere that play isn’t just fun - it’s a force for positive change.

Mark Rober says, "As a child, I always loved to tinker and build - play was how I learned to think outside the box. With the power of your imaginations and LEGO bricks, kids have the chance to rebuild the world.”

Born and based in Mexico City, Lourdes Villagómez (@lourdes_villagomez) turns everyday spaces into vibrant masterpieces. Her signature style blends tradition with modern design, making her a go-to artist for brands and collectors worldwide.

Lourdes Villagómez says, “Art is all about bringing colour to life, and play is the first step in discovering your creative power. Kids, your ideas are amazing and unique - don’t be afraid to share them with the world. Let’s create something great together!"

Frankfurt-born, Younes Zarou (@youneszarou) has become one of TikTok’s biggest stars, His mind-bending camera trick videos, cleverly repurposing everyday objects and using paint and colour as his trademark has built him a following of 56.7m on the platform.

Younes Zarou says, “Creativity and play have always been my way of connecting with people, no matter where they’re from. Every child deserves spaces where they can express themselves, explore, and play freely - because that’s how big ideas start.”

The LEGO Group is inviting all children to unleash their creativity and share their ideas for a more playful city through a new Build the Change challenge. Ideas can be submitted at www.LEGO.com/WorldPlayDay and shared on social media with the hashtag #BuildtheChange for a chance to be featured in our global gallery and have their ideas shared with city planners and decision-makers on World Play Day and beyond.

Other activity happening in the run-up to World Play Day include:

• The LEGO Festival taking place at seven LEGOLAND resorts around the world.
• A free LEGO Education World Play Day Educator Toolkit available to teachers around the world from May 19th to implement play-based challenges in classrooms.
• Build the Change Playful Cities activity taking place at LEGO House, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres and over 30 community partners around the world.

For more information about World Play Day and how to get involved, visit www.LEGO.com/WorldPlayDay.

#LEGOWorldPlayDay
#BuildTheChange