Dino Day is roaring success as thousands flock to Lancaster

Thousands flocked to Lancaster city centre to enjoy an action-packed day which saw dinosaurs roaming the city streets.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.

Dino Day returned to Lancaster after its giant success last year – and saw streets 15 per cent busier than usual.

Friday’s event, organised by Lancaster Business Improvement District (BID), attracted visitors from across the bay and beyond, including visitors from Blackpool, Morecambe, Leyland and Barrow.

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The day included appearances from lifelike Rex the T-Rex and Spike the Spinosaurus as well as animatronic Percy the Parasolophus and lots of baby dinosaurs.

Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.

Visitors also joined in with lots of dinosaur crafts including dinosaur crowns, dino-badge making and dino-colouring.

There were also ample photo opportunities with the Jurassic Park Jeep and a dino-egg.

Attendees could even look like a dinosaur for the day with face painting and temporary tattoos.

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Lancaster BID turned Market Square into a mini fairground for the day, with teacup rides and bungee trampolines. There was even a dino-dig where children could dig through the sand like a real archaeologist searching for dinosaurs and dinosaur fossils, taking home their favourite find.

Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.

A dino-egg trail took place throughout the city centre with dinosaur eggs hidden in city centre businesses across the city.

This trail spanned the entire half-term break last week, allowing little explorers to find the names of all 20 dinosaurs to be in with a chance of winning a bundle of dino-goodies.

Lancaster BID manager Rachael Wilkinson said: “It’s official, Lancaster loves dinosaurs. Dino Day 2 was hugely successful again this year. After the enormous popularity of the event last year, we knew we needed to step it up this year to ensure that there were enough dinosaur activities to go around and to suit all ages and abilities.

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“The event saw a 15 per cent increase in footfall compared to the previous Friday, with many businesses reporting a busy trading day.

Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.

“May was a successful month overall in terms of footfall impressions, with a 0.2 per cent increase in footfall for the month overall.

“This is the first monthly increase in footfall since March 2017. Events such as Dino Day and the popular Lancaster Pride, which took place recently, help increase footfall in the city centre, so that businesses can capitalise on the influx of people into the city centre.”

Dino-Day 2 was supported by The Entertainer Lancaster, The Cumberland, TESCO Bags of Help and Lancaster Guardian. Lancaster BID also teamed with St.Nics Shopping Centre, Marketgate Shopping Centre, Lancaster Museum, Lancaster Library, The Dukes Theatre and The Maritime Museum to deliver Dino-Day 2.

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Craig Lowe, events coordinator at The Entertainer, said: “It’s a great opportunity to partner up with Lancaster BID on events like this.

Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.
Dino Day II in Lancaster. Images courtesy of Lancaster BID.

“At the previous Dino Day event, our Lancaster store was nearly three times as busy as a typical Friday which shows how popular these events are.

“As a family run business, we are very community focused and really enjoy being involved with events that provide a fun and exciting experiences for children.”

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