Tickets for dinosaur sleepovers at Dorset County Museum have sold out just days after going on sale

The Jurassic Coast Trust’s dinosaur sleepovers are returning to Dorset County Museum next month and tickets have sold out in record time.

The events have been so successful, and interest so high, that the trust is planning to run more in future, at the museum and at other coastal centres around the county.

The sleepovers will feature a programme packed with Jurassic activities, including “Top Trumps: Land v. Sea”, where children will be encouraged to explore the museum’s incredible collection of Jurassic Coast fossils, such as the iconic Pliosaur skull.

It comes as Dorset County Museum prepares to host ‘Dippy’ the Diplodocus on the first stop of its nationwide tour in 2018. The 70ft plaster-cast sauropod replica is made up of 292 bones and is one of the Natural History Museum’s best recognised exhibits.

But residents have been given the chance to learn more about the Jurassic Coast ahead of Dippy’s tour with the sleepovers, which take place on March 4 and 11. Tickets went on sale on February 3 and were snapped up by more than 200 fans within days.

Activities will include “Jurassic Twister”, a workshop with Devon-based artist Colin Bentley, and a torch-lit treasure trail through the museum’s Writer’s Gallery. Guests will also be treated to hot chocolate and home-made cakes, then, after a night wrapped up in sleeping bags, Sunday morning breakfast. 

The events will also serve to promote the Trust’s Go Jurassic! Rangers children’s club, which runs dinosaur-themed events all through the year. 

Guy Kerr from the Jurassic Coast Trust said: “The rapid response to these events has been incredibly encouraging. Our aim is to inspire local families with the treasures of the Jurassic Coast, helping them to better understand and care for our amazing World Heritage Site whilst also having lots of fun. We look forward to delivering two brilliant evenings of Jurassic activities for all in attendance.”