One of the most famous playgrounds in the world has reopened on PlayDay 2026 following a £3million investment by The Royal Parks charity.
The playground located in Kensington Gardens opened in 2000 to commemorate the late Diana, Princess of Wales who resided at the nearby Kensington Palace.
Following over two decades of adventures and play, the Peter Pan inspired playground has undergone a full-scale refurbishment after some of the equipment including the large sailing ship, had reached the end of its life and required a full replacement.
Prior to the renewal, the free-to-enter playground received over a million visits a year, making it one of the most visited playgrounds in the UK.
When children visit the renewed playground, they will now experience:
- A brand new 17-metre by 12-metre Galleon moored on a sandy beach. They can channel their inner sailor, climb one of two crow’s nests, brave the large tunnel slide, and use the play telescope to warn of danger ahead. Below deck is a play kitchen and lots of nooks and crannies to hide in.
- A Treehouse of dreams featuring three different towers to climb up onto as well as an exhilarating four metre tunnel slide. An accessible walkway provides lots of fun elements such as talk tubes, musical instruments and games such as tic-tac-toe.
- A brand new waterplay area featuring a larger-than-life sized crocodile sculpture. Dams run across the crocodile’s body so children can control the flow of water and cool themselves down on a hot summer’s day*
- A redesigned area for younger children featuring timber houses, play ships and a large sandpit.
Ahead of the public reopening, children from the state primary, St Mary Abbots School, located just a short distance from Kensington Gardens, visited the renewed playground to test out the equipment.
Andy Williams, Park Manager for Kensington Gardens said: “We know that children across London, the UK and the world have been eagerly awaiting the reopening of this playground, and we can’t wait to see their reactions when they visit. We know they will absolutely love it.
“This playground has been thoughtfully designed so that children of all abilities and interests can find something that appeals to them. Children can once again splash, swing, climb and hide in this almost two-acre playground set amongst sub-tropical planting.”
To make the Diana, Princess of Wales Playground even more welcoming, The Royal Parks charity has taken steps to improve both inclusivity and accessibility so that children of all abilities can play together. This includes providing wheelchair accessible spaces in the Galleon and the Treehouse, the creation of a new accessible path and the addition of raised tables in the water play and sand areas. It has also added sensory planting, upgraded the musical area and provided lots of interactive play features.
Sustainability has also been an important feature of the newly refurbished playground. New wooden play equipment uses timber from sustainably managed European forests, and the new waterplay feature allows runoff water to be collected and used for irrigation.
