Two-Day Dino Fest Returns to the Perot Museum
Back for its second year, Dino Fest, a paleontological party and celebration of all things dinosaur, will return to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science Aug. 31 through Sept. 1.
All five levels of the museum will be teeming with dinosaur activities including hands-on fossil digs, music and treats on the plaza, trivia, live interactions with birds of prey (aka modern-day dinosaurs), workshops, lectures, art activities, and more.
Dino Fest is free for members and included with general admission for non-members.
At the event, guest can ride the iconic T. rexcalator to the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall to watch fossil preparators in the glass-encased Paleo Lab carefully extract 60-million-year-old fossils from large blocks of rock.
These current fossil blocks are from the North Slope of Alaska, well north of the Arctic Circle, where Museum paleontologists have discovered two new dinosaur species in recent years – Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum and Nanuqusaurus hoglundi.
Fossil preparators have already uncovered ribs, jaws, and hipbones from these latest blocks, so guests may witness the unearthing of another new species.
Guests also can join museum scientists on their paleo adventures through a series of inspiring, behind-the-scenes paleo talks.
Fresh from his 22nd field season to Alaska, Perot Museum chief curator and vice president of Research and Collections Dr. Anthony Fiorillo will share how his groundbreaking work in the Arctic connects to the intriguing specimens displayed throughout the Museum.
Dr. Ron Tykoski, the Museum’s curator of vertebrate paleontology, will explain how scientists are working to answer questions about dinosaur lifestyles and behavior.
Museum geologists and fossil preparators will lead visitors to uncover clues left behind in the fossil record, provide a how-to on fossil preparation, and explore the final moments of the reign of dinosaurs just before and after the infamous asteroid impact.
Younger guests ages 5 and under can enjoy prehistoric story times and hands-on activities in the Junior Paleo Lab.
Other Dino Fest must-dos include a food truck, face painting, dino-themed treats in the Café and “rocking” out to a live deejay on the Plaza, with adult beverages available for purchase. Find the full list of festivities here.
Dino Fest is presented by Highland Capital Management.
