Danish amusement parks say grandparents with grandchildren are the dominant visitors in the final week of the school summer holiday, with Sommerland Sjælland reporting its highest share of the year.
DR reported on Friday, August 8, that grandparents are stepping in during week 32, the last week before schoolchildren return to class. Many working adults are already back at their jobs, while children remain on holiday until after the weekend.
Kåre Dyvekjær, owner and director of Sommerland Sjælland, told DR that this is the week of the year with the most grandparents accompanying grandchildren. According to Dyvekjær, the atmosphere is calmer, because grandparents are at an age where they do not need to rush and can follow the children’s pace.
One of them is Randi Vinfeldt, who visited the park on Friday with her two grandchildren, including two-year-old Mikas. As reported by DR, she described the day as quiet and more relaxing than when she was a parent herself, when the family tried to fit in far more activities.
Park staff notice the shift as well. Vibeke Damm, who works in the park’s information and ticket office, told DR that children are much quieter when grandparents are present, and that the adults take on a more guiding role. Per Damm, there is also less refusal, with fewer remarks about not having room for another stuffed animal.
DR cited figures from Statistics Denmark showing that last year, only about half as many people were on holiday in week 32 as in week 31. That leaves fewer parents available to spend the week with their children.
The pattern is not limited to Zealand. DR also spoke with BonBon-Land and Djurs Sommerland, which both report more grandparents among their guests this week. Universe Science Park on Als in Southern Jutland says the same.
A dedicated grandparent week
Mikael Vestergaard, sales and marketing chief at Universe Science Park, told DR that the park has gone a step further and introduced a formal grandparent week, a “Bedsteforælder-uge”. According to Vestergaard, the theme has existed for years, and the park has seen a rising number of grandparents in exactly this week, which is known to be difficult for families with children.
Vinfeldt said that more visitors could benefit from choosing a day in August, when there is more space, shorter lines for the rides and time to sit down, talk and eat together. Sommerland Sjælland’s largest roller coaster, Vildkatten, is still running during the quieter week.
Michael Teit Nielsen, vice director of Ældre Sagen, told DR that the engagement does not come as a surprise. As stated by Nielsen, grandparents play a much more active role in their grandchildren’s lives today, and in many families they have a fixed day for picking up children.
