Dippy the dinosaur to stay in city until 2027

Dippy the Diplodocus is to spend another year in Coventry after the exhibit's residency in the city was extended due to its popularity, said organisers.

The 85ft-long (26m) replica dinosaur skeleton arrived at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in 2023, but now a three-year loan from London's Natural History Museum has been extended until 19 February 2027.

Museum heads said the "nation's favourite dinosaur" had captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Coventry venue.

"Dippy has been a huge hit for visitors of all ages over the last three years", said Marguerite Nugent at CV Life, which manages the museum.

She said the exhibit had "helped cement the Herbert's reputation as a must-see venue in the West Midlands".

The 292-piece replica was unveiled at the London museum in 1905 and its display had been a "wow moment" for many children drawn to the exhibition during a 110-year run.

In 2018 Dippy was taken on a UK tour, with locations reporting an influx of visitors which became known as the "Dippy effect".

In Coventry, Dippy is credited with bringing in about 500,000 visitors to the Herbert over three years.

An evaluation by Durnin Research estimated the attraction brought £2.1m to the city's visitor economy between February 2023 and February 2025.

The Herbert has held dinosaur-themed events alongside the exhibition which have proved popular with families.

These included "Doze under Dippy" overnight experiences and the Brick Dinos exhibition, which included Lego dinosaur sculptures.

Nugent said the extension would provide more opportunities to inspire and educate local families and the museum was "looking forward to making the most of these extra 12 months".

Dr Alex Burch, director of public programmes at the Natural History Museum, said: "It's been fantastic to see the success of Dippy at the Herbert.

"We know that biodiversity is under threat and the planet is facing a crisis. Dippy has the ability to capture people's imagination.

"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."

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.