Jurassic Arcade draws over half a million visitors to Grand Arcade this April

Grand Arcade roared to life this Easter as Jurassic Arcade once again captivated residents of and visitors to Cambridge, drawing 708,275 visitors over the course of the event. The much-loved animatronic dinosaur experience proved to be a colossal hit with families, school groups and dino enthusiasts of all ages.

The Dinoshow was a particular crowd-pleaser, delighting more than 1,500 excited attendees who enjoyed story time adventures and met the adorable baby dinos and their friendly rangers. Across multiple dates, children and grown-ups alike immersed themselves in prehistoric fun with unforgettable photo moments.

In celebration of all things dinosaur, six local schools took on the creative challenge of designing their very own T.Rex sculpture as part of a friendly competition hosted by Grand Arcade, with the winning school receiving a £300 Love Cambridge gift card from Grand Arcade, to put towards school equipment.

Julie Kervadec, Marketing Manager, Grand Arcade, said: “After hundreds of votes and roaring support from visitors, we are thrilled to announce that Sawston Village College has been crowned our T.Rex champion. All participating schools — Long Road Sixth Form College, North Cambridge Academy, Parkside Community College, St Mary’s School, and The Netherhall School — created truly fantastic entries and we thank them for their incredible efforts.”

From 24 May, the school-designed T.Rexes will be heading to their next home, the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, where they will be on public display for visitors to enjoy throughout the summer.

Dr. Julie de Sainte Cluque, Head of Art and Photography at Sawston Village College said: “We are beyond proud to have been voted by the public as the winners of the Jurassic Arcade T.Rex challenge and are extremely excited to see the model in exhibition at the Sedgwick Museum. The students worked incredibly well as a team to bring their creativity and imagination to life and should be very proud of themselves for taking on and winning the challenge."

The creativity didn’t stop there. Budding young palaeontologists also took part in Grand Arcade’s CAMsaurus challenge, imagining how dinosaurs might have evolved to survive in modern-day Cambridge.

Children, aged 1 - 17, submitted hundreds of imaginative, colourful. The winning CAMsaurus – soon to be announced – will be transformed into a bespoke soft toy for its lucky creator.

Julie said: “Jurassic Arcade continues to prove that Grand Arcade is so much more than a shopping destination. We strive to be a hub of creativity, learning, and fun for the local community and for visitors; and the response to this year’s event has been incredible. Seeing families engage with the exhibition, children interacting with the adorable baby dinos and schools pouring creativity into their T.Rex sculptures has been nothing short of inspiring. We’re grateful to our community, partners and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences for making this event so memorable.”