IKONO Copenhagen — Attraction in Copenhagen Municipality

TL;DR: Don't waste your money, go to a real museum: Kids, unoriginal, just to take a picture for the instagram.

I was invited to go several times, and then when I decided to go with my partner, I was very disappointed. We got greeted and introduced to the concept and to the main room where a dog robot was just standing there doing nothing. The people working there reminded us about "being part" of the art pieces by using our phone and sharing things on Instagram. That was the first red flag right there.

Once inside the various rooms, I realized how young the target audience is, how much focus on being "Instagrammable" and how much copy-paste there was from other artists.

I visited in Tokyo a similar concept (but way better executed) called teamLab, where I remember having both a lot of rooms and places to visit as well as space and time to reflect and absorb what message the artist wanted to convey. In the case of IKONO, it is just a clear copycat of that concept, but with a lot of screaming kids, no space/time to reflect, and no meaningful message. If there was one, I could not find it even if it was mentioned to "reflect about your dreams" or something about "the Chinese lanterns" that was a clear copy of Kusama’s original work...

Both Kusama and the teamLab works left me with thoughts and gave me time and space to introspect, IKONO did nothing of such. I am sure that artists like Heather Bellino, Ruben Sanchez, or Ricardo Cavolo could have left me something more profound, but the setup was clearly more "for the money" and the social-media factor. As a result, it felt like their work was generated by AI after learning it from previous artists, stripped from any feelings or meaning and commercialized so that people that don't care about things could post a picture on Instagram.

The description of every room felt too short, very meaningless, and I had no connection with the artists. We tried to find a deeper meaning, but all we could do is to make up stories just to enjoy the very few rooms around. When there was something interesting to play/touch, it was broken and made no sense: both Heather Bellino's and Ricardo Cavolo's work were barely working (the fans and the throwing machine thinggy). Meh.

I was for sure not the target. I am not an expert on art at all, and I am sure the artists that collaborated with IKON did a lot of work, but it felt that their voice was lost. I suggest going to IKONO if you don't care about experiencing what the artist wants to say. If you are a kid, if you want to take Instagram pictures, go there... if you still want to go there I warn you that for 200DKK the experience is very short!!! If you are interested in the artists, find their real work...

Over-hyped. Over-priced. This is a stage for social media, not an immersive experience. Don’t do it as a family event.

We visited IKONO Copenhagen as a family of six, including three kids (ages 3, 7, and 9) and a grandparent. The experience looks great on the surface — clean, polished, and visually designed for photos — but underneath, it’s lacking in value and substance.

The rooms are essentially themed photo sets, not a true immersive experience. There’s no narrative, no meaningful interaction, and very little to hold a child’s attention beyond a few minutes per room. Our older kids mildly enjoyed the last space with the ball pit and slide. Our youngest had almost nothing age appropriate to engage with. The adults felt rushed, and even our mother-in-law found it underwhelming.

We spent about 800 DKK for one hour, with no family discounts or partner offers available. Staff were friendly, and the layout was easy to follow, but the entire experience felt like it was built for Instagram — not real exploration or memory-making.

This is not a family activity. It might appeal to couples, date nights or influencers looking for curated content, but for the price, there are far better options in Copenhagen with more creativity, substance, and local character.

Would not recommend for families with smaller kids. Definitely not worth the full...

This was such a fun thing to do while in Copenhagen! I wish they didn't lead with the ball pit (though I understand why they do), since we were initially a little concerned that the entirety of the museum would be more kid-oriented- but that was not the case at all as we worked our way through it! There's plenty for kids to interact with, but also plenty for adults to find interesting and engage with as well. Each room is its own experience, created by individual artists, with some insight/explanation posted near their entry. I really appreciated that they were well-thought out and created with intention, not just to be photo op backgrounds. And there was a cool variety- I feel like everyone would have their own favorite room. We did get mixed up a couple times because the arrows on the floor aren't super clear, but there are friendly staff around to help out, so it wasn't a big issue. All in all, a really cool experience and definitely recommended. I see there's quite a bit of overlap in exhibits between different cities, but depending on how often new exhibits are added we'd be certainly love...