Alistair Hardaker | Image: Dippy will remain at the Herbert Art Gallery and Musuem until 2027 (Reel Master Production)
Natural History Museum’s Diplodocus cast to remain at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum until February 2027 after three-year success.
The Natural History Museum’s Diplodocus cast, ‘Dippy’ will extend its stay at Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery & Museum by one year, remaining on display until 19 February 2027.
The 26-metre-long Jurassic exhibit arrived at the Herbert in February 2023 for what was originally planned as a three-year residency. The Natural History Museum and Herbert agreed the extension due to Dippy’s popularity with local and regional audiences.
The dinosaur has contributed to around half a million visits to the Herbert over the last three years. From February 2023 to February 2025, visits to Dippy are estimated to have brought £2.1m into Coventry’s visitor economy based on visitor expenditure in the city, according to an evaluation by Durnin Research.
The 4.17-metre-high replica skeleton first arrived in London in 1905. After 110 years on display in the capital, Dippy embarked on an eight-city UK tour in 2018, with each location reporting an influx of visitors in what has been called the ‘Dippy effect’.
Marguerite Nugent at CV Life, which manages the Herbert, said: “The Dippy effect has been clear to see, not just in the volume of people who have come to see it, but in the knock-on effect it has with families enjoying a wide-range of dinosaur-inspired events and activities at the Herbert and across the city.
“We’re looking forward to making the most of these extra 12 months and welcoming more visitors to see Dippy and the other unmissable exhibitions in store at the Herbert.”
Dr Alex Burch, director of public programmes at the Natural History Museum, London, added: “Through this extended stay we hope the nation’s favourite dinosaur can encourage even more people to care about the natural world as well as bringing further economic benefit to Coventry.”
The gallery’s dinosaur-themed events have included the ‘Doze Under Dippy’ overnight experiences, and its ‘Brick Dinos’ exhibition featuring LEGO dinosaur sculptures designed in collaboration with palaeontologists.
