Peterborough launches Dinosaur City tourism campaign celebrating prehistoric past
The city-wide campaign includes exhibitions, live shows, fossil activities and family events across Peterborough this spring and summer.
Last updated 8 hours ago
Peterborough is set to “roar into life” this spring and summer with the launch of Dinosaur City, a new city-wide tourism campaign celebrating the city’s prehistoric past.
Led by the Peterborough Tourist Board through Discover Peterborough, and supported by Peterborough City Council, the campaign brings together local attractions, cultural venues, public spaces and national partners to create a joined-up visitor experience.
The programme will see events and activities take place across Peterborough, including at Peterborough Cathedral, Cathedral Square, Queensgate, Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, Nene Park, The Cresset and the New Theatre.
At the heart of Dinosaur City is the Natural History Museum’s Titanosaur exhibition at Peterborough Cathedral.
The exhibition features a spectacular cast of a giant titanosaur, stretching more than 30 metres in length, giving visitors the chance to experience one of the largest animals ever to walk the Earth inside the historic Cathedral setting.
Across the city centre, prehistoric-themed activities will encourage residents and visitors to explore Peterborough in a new way.
These include fossil floor graphics in Queensgate, hands-on activities in Cathedral Square and family events across the city.
The programme will continue across spring and into summer.
Dinosaurs Live will come to The Cresset in May, followed by performances at the New Theatre in June.
Fossils Galore will bring its fully accessible pop-up museum to the Peterborough Celebrates Festival in Nene Park on 16 and 17 May, before moving into Cathedral Square for May half term from 23 to 31 May.
The pop-up museum will include live fossil preparation, real specimen handling, hands-on science and the chance to meet palaeontology specialists.
In Queensgate, a fossil trail will use floor graphics to connect everyday shopping trips with the wider Dinosaur City campaign.
Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery will also play a key role, with its permanent Jurassic marine reptile collections exploring the ancient seas that once covered the region.
Families will also be able to take part in the Big Jurassic Fish Hunt from 26 to 28 May, exploring the story of Leedsichthys, the giant prehistoric fish discovered locally.
Organisers say Dinosaur City aims to build pride in Peterborough’s heritage while supporting the city’s visitor economy.
The surrounding area has yielded fossils of global importance, while the city’s museum collections are linked to the work of Alfred Nicholson Leeds of Eye, whose discoveries of Jurassic marine reptiles helped shape modern palaeontology.
The campaign has already gained international recognition, with the Discover Peterborough team invited to showcase Dinosaur City at the Digital Tourism Think Tank’s flagship AI event in Brussels from 2 to 4 June.
A new children’s book by Peterborough author Tom Dexter, inspired by the Dinosaur City campaign, is also due to be published by Candy Jar Books.
It follows The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: A Fright at the Museum, Tom Dexter’s Peterborough Museum-set adventure, which is currently on sale at the Museum.
Adrian Chapman, Executive Director for Place and Economy at Peterborough City Council, said: “Dinosaur City is an exciting programme of events across Peterborough which is already gaining recognition further afield, thanks to the efforts of the Tourist Board and its partners and supporters – we are proud to be part of it.
“These will be immersive, innovative experiences which reflect the fascinating and rich history of the prehistoric era in this region, and the campaign has already had a great start with the spectacular arrival of the Titanosaur at Peterborough Cathedral.”
Paul Stainton, Head of Communications at Peterborough Cathedral, said the Titanosaur exhibition had already welcomed more than 8,000 visitors.
He said: “The Natural History Museum’s Titanosaur exhibition has already welcomed more than 8,000 visitors to Peterborough Cathedral, showing what is possible when the city comes together around a shared story.
“Dinosaur City gives us a clear and unified way to showcase Peterborough, bringing cultural venues, heritage sites and attractions together under one banner and inviting more people to discover the city.”
Andrew Pakes MP said: “Dinosaur City captures so much of what makes Peterborough special: ambition, imagination and a deep pride in our story.
“It shows that Peterborough has the confidence to think big, work together and create experiences that attract visitors while giving local families something memorable to enjoy close to home.”
Rebecca Jackson, Co-Director of Discover Peterborough, said: “Dinosaur City is exactly the kind of ambitious, joined-up campaign that Discover Peterborough was created to support.
“For us, this is about much more than dinosaurs. It is about civic pride, partnership and creating something that local families can enjoy, share and feel proud of, while also showing visitors that Peterborough has extraordinary stories to discover.”
Jamie Jordan, from Fossils Galore, said: “Dinosaur City is a fantastic opportunity to bring real palaeontology into the heart of Peterborough.
“Our fully accessible pop-up museum will give people the chance to see live fossil preparation up close, handle real specimens and discover the science behind the finds.
“We want children and families to feel that fossils are not just something behind glass in a museum. They are real pieces of Earth’s history, and Peterborough has an incredible prehistoric story waiting to be explored.”
Visitors can explore the full Dinosaur City programme and plan their visit via the Discover Peterborough website.