As Dippy on Tour enters its final days at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG), visitors are encouraged to see the record-breaking exhibition before it finishes on Sunday 9th September.
So far over 215,000 people have visited Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure in Birmingham, which makes its BMAG’s most successful temporary exhibition to date.
The exhibition has been brought about by the Natural History Museum, in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation and supported by Dell EMC and Williams & Hill.
There have been excited children and adults, special chocolate dino creations and even a marriage proposal in front of the Natural History Museum’s popular skeleton cast Dippy the Diplodocus. As the exhibition draws to a close BMAG Museum Manager Gurminder Kenth is encouraging visitors not to miss the chance to see Dippy and to learn more about the natural world around them.
Gurminder Kenth said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction to Dippy being on display in Birmingham. It has opened up conversations about our natural world, encouraged visitors to get out and explore wildlife, and hopefully inspired the scientists of the future.
“There’s not long left, and this is the only chance to see Dippy in the Midlands, so we want to make sure no one misses out. Dinosaurs continue to captivate people of all ages, and in an ever-increasingly technological world, this exhibition has shown how nature can continue to engage and fascinate us all. Let’s give Dippy a great Birmingham send off!”
Booking tickets is recommended to guarantee entry, but walk up spaces are also available. Visitors without pre-booked tickets are advised they may need to wait during busier times.
There will also be celebrations to send Dippy off in style before he travels to the Ulster Museum in Belfast.
On Dippy’s last day in Birmingham, Sunday 9th September, there will be a colourful farewell celebration. Visitors on the day are encouraged to dress up as dinosaurs or birds, or in themed clothing, to show Dippy how much he will be missed. While there is no obligation to dress up, there will be prizes for the best dressed and fun celebrations throughout the day.
Dippy has delighted visitors since he arrived in London in 1905. The full skeleton in its displayed pose is an impressive 21.3 metres long, 4.3 metres wide and 4.17 metres high.
In Birmingham Dippy is accompanied by an engaging exhibition which has seen the city’s extensive bird collection back on display in the museum for the first time in 20 years, to showcase the evolution of dinosaurs to the birds we know today.
The fun doesn’t have to stop once visitors have seen Dippy, there is the Dino Dig Excavation activity where budding palaeontologists can uncover a dinosaur skeleton, the free family room with Dippy themed activities, and even the Dino Kids’ Menu in the Edwardian Tearooms with turkey dinosaurs!
