Margaret L. Kempner Playground

Margaret L. Kempner Playground is one of Central Park’s largest and most popular playgrounds, designed to accommodate both older and younger children.

The Central Park Conservancy rebuilt the playground in 2019 to include custom wood climbers, numerous swings, a new water feature, and an area with picnic tables.

This playground is located near the Park’s East 96th Street entrance, in close proximity to the Reservoir and the East Meadow.

Central Park has 21 playgrounds that are unique in design and character. Most of them were built in the 1930s as part of a system of playgrounds located along the Park perimeter. The Central Park Conservancy regularly updates these spaces to include new equipment and infrastructure that reflect changing ideas about children’s play and safety and accessibility standards. Since 2011, the Conservancy has been working to rebuild or renovate all the Park’s playgrounds, with the goal of bringing each of them up to the same standard of excellence at the same time and focusing on making them feel more connected to the Park’s landscapes and experiences.

A very young child hangs from a bar on the climbing equipment of the playspace.
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Support the Park's Playgrounds

Each year, more than three million children visit Central Park's playgrounds. Playground Partners raises funds that go toward the preservation, care, and daily inspection of these cherished play spaces.

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