Britain's Got Talent semi-finals act will be new attraction when popular family festival returns to Lancaster

Shows from Dinomania – home of Ranger Chris and his dancing dinosaurs who stole hearts on BGT 2022 – will be one of the highlights at Lancaster Dino Fest which returns to the city centre on July 8 and 9.

The annual event celebrates the legacy of Sir Richard Owen, who was born and grew up in Lancaster and became a renowned palaeontologist who invented the word dinosaur.

This year’s event will see more dinosaurs than ever before with plans to add a fossil market, city centre dinosaur trail, mobile museum, dinosaur workshops and more.

Event organisers, Lancaster BID, are calling for your support to help secure the final funding for the event. The project has been raising funds through the crowdfunding platform Spacehive and has received a fantastic pledge of £17,154 from Lancashire County Council through their Crowdfund Lancashire Culture and Sport Fund.

However, this funding will only be received if the project reaches its full fundraising target by the end of the month. The project now needs less than £600 in pledges to achieve this so every pledge, however small, can make a big difference.

Donations can be from just £2 so if your family love dinosaurs and you can afford to, consider pledging at https://www.spacehive.com/lancasterdinofest.

Tom Fyson, Operations Manager at Lancaster BID said; “The event draws huge crowds each year and really shows how much the local community love dinosaurs. Please show your support by making a small donation to make sure we reach our target and make Dino Fest 2023 the biggest and best yet.”

Reaching the target will ensure the event is a roaring success with new attractions including the shows from Dinomania.

Almost 600 school children will also benefit from free half day dinosaur workshops during the two weeks leading up to the festival, learning about Sir Richard Owen and his links to the city, learning about dinosaurs in the City Museum and hunting for dinosaurs throughout the city centre.

Tom added: “Please pledge your support to help raise the final £600 to make sure the event can take place in its full glory.”