Folkets Park Malmö

A historic people’s park with a playful heart

Malmö Folkets Park is often described as Sweden’s oldest folk park, a green space created not as a royal garden but as a democratic pleasure ground for ordinary citizens. Over more than 130 years it has evolved from a simple leisure retreat into a dense patchwork of lawns, ponds, tree-lined paths and small squares where culture, politics and entertainment have all left their mark. Today the historic mission endures: this is still a park made for meeting, relaxing and having fun together, with free entry and open access day and night. Walking in from the busy surrounding streets, you feel the city noise fade into the background, replaced by children’s voices, clinking crockery from cafés and the distant pulse of music from a stage or pavilion. Old trees arch overhead, flowerbeds brighten the routes in warmer months, and pockets of lawn invite you to pause with a coffee or spread out a picnic rug.

Family playgrounds, skate bowls and miniature golf

Folkets Park is especially known as a playground paradise. There are varied play areas for different ages, from small slides and sand pits to climbing structures, swings and imaginative themed corners. Nearby, a skatepark draws BMX riders, skateboarders and scooter fans who loop around bowls and ramps while onlookers perch along the edges. For a different kind of challenge, the adventure-style miniature golf course offers 18 holes laid out on synthetic grass using real golf balls. Each hole nods to Malmö landmarks, turning a friendly round into a light-hearted city tour. Between shots, players gravitate to the adjoining ice cream bar and café windows, where treats and hot drinks keep the energy up on long summer evenings.

Seasonal magic from winter ice to summer festivals

Across the year the park shifts with the seasons. In winter, sections transform into a glowing "Vinterland" with ice rinks, decorative lighting and themed activities for all ages. You may find figure-skating sessions, casual hockey games or disco skating under colored lights, all framed by frosty trees and warm kiosks selling hot drinks. In spring and summer, the lawns turn into outdoor living rooms and the calendar fills with festivals, circus performances, open-air cinema and concerts spread across stages and pavilions. Autumn brings harvest colors and, around school holidays, playful Halloween-themed weeks that turn the familiar paths into slightly spooky, family-friendly adventures. Even on quieter days there is usually something happening, from small workshops to children’s theater.

Cafés, kiosks and Malmö’s social living room

Scattered through the park are relaxed spots to eat and drink, ranging from simple snack stands and ice cream counters to more established cafés, bars and restaurants with outdoor terraces. Many venues change character over the day: family-friendly patios at lunchtime can morph into buzzy social hubs in the evening when the music turns up and fairy lights flicker on. The mix of food trucks, burger joints and sit-down places means you can build a visit around anything from a quick coffee between errands to a lingering dinner after a show. On warm evenings, the park becomes a kind of open-air living room for Malmö, with groups of friends, couples and families sharing the same space in a relaxed, communal atmosphere.

Everyday green escape in the middle of the city

Even without events or attractions, Folkets Park functions as a much-needed patch of green in a densely built area. Locals use it for morning jogs, quiet reading on benches, or simply cutting through on a leafy route to somewhere else. The open layout and wide paths make it easy to navigate with strollers and wheelchairs, and there are plenty of benches and sheltered corners when you need a break. Because the park is open around the clock all year, it offers a reliable escape in every season: cherry blossoms and first picnics in spring, long sunlit evenings in summer, crisp walks among bright leaves in autumn and atmospheric strolls under winter lights. Whether you come for the playgrounds, the stages or just a moment of green calm, Folkets Park Malmö manages to feel both lively and welcomingly familiar.