Peterborough’s prehistoric links set to drive new ‘Dinosaur City’ tourism campaign
A new city-wide tourism campaign which will showcase Peterborough’s impressive prehistoric past is set to launch this spring.
It is hoped the ‘Dinosaur City’ campaign will attract visitors to Peterborough and encourage residents to see the city in a new light by showcasing its Jurassic past.
Led by the Peterborough Tourist Board through Discover Peterborough and supported by Peterborough City Council, the ambitious initiative will bring together national partners, local attractions, cultural venues and public spaces to create a joined-up visitor experience across the city.
Adrian Chapman, Executive Director for Place and Economy at Peterborough City Council, said Dinosaur City will be “an exciting programme of events across Peterborough” that will offer “immersive, innovative experiences which reflect the fascinating and rich history of the prehistoric era in this region.”
City landmarks like Peterborough Cathedral, Cathedral Square, the Cresset Theatre, Queensgate, New Theatre, Nene Park and Peterborough Museum will work together over spring and through the summer to deliver connected prehistoric experiences for residents and visitors alike.
At the heart of it all will be the towering Titanosaur at Peterborough Cathedral, a jaw-dropping exhibition standing more than 30 metres in length of one of the largest animals ever to walk the Earth.
Paul Stainton, Head of Communications at Peterborough Cathedral celebrated the fact that the exhibition has already welcomed more than 8,000 visitors to Peterborough Cathedral.
He believes Dinosaur City will offer “a clear and unified way to showcase Peterborough” by “bringing cultural venues, heritage sites and attractions together under one banner and inviting more people to discover the city.”
The cathedral will be joined by a host of other venues and landmarks offering related, family-friendly events across the city.
In Queensgate, a fossil trail will use floor graphics to invite visitors to follow prehistoric discoveries through the shopping centre, cleverly connecting everyday city centre journeys with the wider Dinosaur City campaign.
On stage, May will see the Dinosaurs Live prehistoric show wow families and younger audiences at The Cresset before moving on to the New Theatre in June.
Also joining in the action is Fossils Galore, who will be bringing their fully accessible pop-up museum to the Peterborough Celebrates Festival in Nene Park on May 16 and 17, before moving into Cathedral Square over May half-term (May 23-31).
Along with live fossil preparation and real specimen handling, fossil-fans can look forward to meeting palaeontology specialists and doing some hands-on science, right in the heart of the city.
Fossils Galore curator Jamie Jordan described Dinosaur City as a “fantastic opportunity” to bring real palaeontology into the heart of Peterborough.
“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.”
Not to be left out, Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery will showcase its permanent Jurassic marine reptile collections revealing the ancient seas that once covered the region. The Big Jurassic Fish Hunt (May 26-28) will also give families a chance to discover more about the story of Leedsichthys, the giant prehistoric fish discovered locally.
As the first coordinated campaign led by the Peterborough Tourist Board, Dinosaur City demonstrates how a partnership-led approach can create something greater than the sum of its parts, bringing together cultural organisations, education providers, tourism partners and public spaces to deliver a shared narrative.
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes lauded the aspiration and scope of the campaign:
“Dinosaur City captures so much of what makes Peterborough special: ambition, imagination and a deep pride in our story,” he said.
“This is a campaign that brings together our cathedral, museum, cultural venues, public spaces and local expertise in a way that feels genuinely exciting for the whole city.”
Visitors can explore the full programme and plan their visit online via the Discover Peterborough website.