LEGO Group Reimagines Berlin One Block At A Time
If there’s one thing Berlin understands, it’s transformation. The city’s history unfolds in cycles of reinvention, where what’s torn down is often just the beginning of what’s built next. This is a city fueled by reinvention—where brutalist tower blocks stand beside bohemian Altbau apartments, and techno temples share space with some of Europe’s most imaginative open-air playgrounds. So when the LEGO Group announced it would be bringing its World Play Day event to the German capital this June, the concept fit perfectly.
Timed around the International Day of Play, the LEGO Group brought a bold, joyful vision to the streets of Berlin. Designed to hand the city back to its most imaginative minds: the children who see possibilities where others see pavement. Four temporary installations, dubbed “Play Drops,” appeared across Mitte, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, and Tempelhof. Each one took a familiar urban space and turned it into something completely unexpected; a reinterpretation of Berlin built from the inside out.
A Späti in Kreuzberg became a basecamp for creativity. At Tempelhofer Feld, the city’s most beloved, unique, and undeniably massive public space turned into a kinetic playground where movement and imagination collided. In Mitte, music and energy flowed through a redesigned BEAT Zone—one of four Play Drops—**hosted at Highsnobiety’s own HQ, with a program that included a live performance from musician Zoe Wees. Even the edges of Neukölln got a colorful twist, with bounce zones inviting kids (and even a few brave adults) to explore play on a larger-than-life scale.
The Highsnobiety Store was fully taken over for the day, reimagined as a playground for creativity. Branded installations and interactive stations transformed the space, allowing visitors to explore, build, and engage with LEGO bricks in entirely new ways. From the moment guests walked in, the atmosphere was immersive and hands-on.
These weren’t just whimsical pop-ups. They were built from the ideas of kids themselves, with input gathered from workshops and local collaborations—shaped in part by artist and singer Zoe Wees, German content creator Younes Zarou, who gave a speech to kick off World Play Day and set the tone for what people could expect, and a group of standout creators from across the German-speaking internet.
The result was something refreshingly dynamic: a moment where play was not only encouraged, but elevated. Bright, textural, and full of movement, each space invited kids to explore without instruction. Music blared, LEGO bricks spilled, ideas formed midair. The BEAT Zone also featured a 'Build Your Own Album Cover' station, where guests had access to LEGO bricks and tools to reimagine iconic album artwork from their favorite artists—blending music culture with tactile play in a way only the LEGO Group could. At the heart of it all was a simple idea: creativity isn’t something you grow out of, but something that grows with you.
For families, the event was an open invitation to experience the city differently. Entry was free, access was easy, and the message was clear—Berlin is for everyone, and its future can be imagined in more ways than one.
Throughout the event, kids could also submit ideas for a more playful Berlin—each submission triggering a donation to Ein Herz für Kinder. It was a seamless blend of experience and impact: part city intervention, part community giveback. And as part of the LEGO Group’s wider initiative this summer—which includes partnerships with Save the Children, Die Arche, and the Philipp Lahm Stiftung—it feels like the start of something ongoing.
In a city that is no stranger to big ideas, the magic of World Play Day was in its simplicity. It wasn’t about spectacle. It was about seeing the city through a different lens—one that celebrates spontaneity, imagination, and the kind of joy that only comes from building something new.
