De Splinter playground in Eindhoven closed due to overcrowding and unruly behavior

Of course you want to go out with the children when the weather is nice. So if there’s a free play park around the corner, one and one make two. Playpark de Splinter can accommodate 3,000 visitors on a good day. “But we were over there on Wednesday about a dozen times,” said employee Monique Staps.

That was unlike other years. In fact, the pool wasn’t even open yet. “So we were surprised,” she continues. “We checked at the door. Every time someone went out, other people were allowed back in.” And that staff held up for a while.

Until the tension rose. The heat started to swelter and more and more people came, discussions arose, parents became impatient and did not understand why it took so long. “He didn’t feel safe anymore. The mood got a little grim.”

This manifested itself in wanton brutality and brutality. “Usually smoking is not allowed in the park, but now people suddenly did. You know how that goes, out of humility,” Monique gives as an example. “Our people were shocked.”

Now the workers, who are mostly volunteers, at home are in shock. The park is closed because they don’t want the same song at the gate anymore. “There’s no responsibility to open now. Even the people who were there said it wasn’t fun anymore.”

“So we look at it from day to day. We are looking for a solution and talking to the city,” she explains. One option is to collect several tickets in advance, for example via Facebook. This way everyone gets their chance. “Of course it has to stay fun. And cheap, of course.”