Dino Fest 2025
Date
Sunday, September 14, 2025 | 10 am–5 pm
Location
Tickets
Free with paid Museum admission and to Members
Advance reservations recommended
Members receive exclusive access from 9–10 am. Join today!
On Sunday, September 14, come out and RAWR with us as we celebrate the 10th annual Dino Fest! Discover the amazing world of dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life. Meet world-renowned paleontologists from the Museum's Dinosaur Institute and beyond. See unique Cretaceous era fossil collections and learn about dinosaurs’ living descendants, birds! You don’t want to miss this event that is millions of years in the making!
- See rare specimens from our Museum’s collections
- Explore our world-renowned Dinosaur Hall, including our T. rex growth series
- Visit L.A. Underwater and discover how ancient Los Angeles was once beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean
- Enjoy free screenings of the film Why Dinosaurs? and an episode of PBS's Walking with Dinosaurs (seating available on a first come, first served basis)
- Participate in hands-on activities
- Shop for dinosaur-inspired merchandise
- Get curious with a LEGO® Build the Change activity
- And so much more!
#NHMLA #DinoFest
Dino Fest 2025 Exhibitors
On view from 9 am–5 pm
Schedule of Events
Ongoing from 9 am–5 pm
- Welcome Tables: Located in the Grand Foyer and Nature Gardens. Great location for all Dino Fest info!
- Activity–Coloring Station: Located in the African Mammal Hall.
- Activity–Dino Masks: Located in the African Mammal Hall.
- Gnatalie Step and Repeat: Located in the Otis Booth Pavilion, level 1.
- Lil’ Libros Activity Station: Located in the Nature Gardens.
- First Aid station: Located on the Ground level.
- Quiet Zone: Located in the North American Mammal Hall, level 2.
Commons Theater
10:30 am & 11:30 am | T. REX 3D Film *Additional paid admission is required.
Don't miss this captivating science adventure celebrating the greatest of all tyrants!
1 pm | Screening: Why Dinosaurs? *Free with Dino Fest admission. Seating available on a first come, first served basis.
A dinosaur-obsessed teen and his filmmaker father travel the world interviewing paleontologists about the latest research, digging up 150-million-year-old bones, and meeting dino fanatics of all walks of life. Stick around after the screening to meet the filmmaker and NHM paleontologists in the Theater Lobby! (Film run time: 77 minutes)
4 pm | Screening: PBS's Walking with Dinosaurs – “The Orphan” *Free with Dino Fest admission. Seating available on a first come, first served basis.
An orphaned baby Triceratops must outwit a deadly T. rex. Today, paleontologists are uncovering her remains and use stunning VFX to bring her story vividly to life. (Film run time: 53 minutes)
Stage Presentations
*Live Spanish translation will be provided by NewVoice Interpreting. Available on a first come, first served basis.
11 am | Paleo Chat
Curious about paleontology? Meet some of NHM’s real life paleontologists and learn about their journey into the field.
12:30 pm | Plaster Jacketing Fossil Demo
See how the Dino Institute staff bring back fossils from the field. *¡Great for kids!
1:30 pm | Prehistoric Fight Night
It’s the question on the mind of every kid (and a lot of grown-ups) when they visit a museum and gaze upon the remains of ancient monsters; who would win in a fight?! We all have our ideas, but find out who the experts would put their money on. *¡Great for kids!
3 pm | Who Outlived the Dinosaurs?
Meet the living descendants of asteroid-proof animals, and discover how they survived Earth’s biggest disaster! *¡Great for kids!
Digging Deeper Dino Discussions
*ASL interpretation will be provided for discussions.
12 pm | Evolutionary Insights from Paravian Dinosaurs
Dr. Turner will discuss his work on a group of theropod dinosaurs known as Paraves. This group includes iconic dinosaurs like Velociraptor as well as birds and their earliest relatives. He will highlight how discoveries from Madagascar offer insights into the transition to birds.
2:30 pm | The Evolution of the Bird Brain and the Origins of Flight
In more than 500 million years of vertebrate evolution, powered flight is only known to have evolved three times – in bats, pterosaurs, and of course in birds. This talk explores the Mesozoic origin of avian flight from the perspective of the dinosaurian brain.
Timed Programs
9:30 am–12:30 pm | LEGO® Build the Change: Saving Today’s Dinosaurs
Would you like to help save today’s dinosaurs? We have the power to make change for our planet and the creatures we share it with. Use your imagination, creativity, and LEGO to build solutions that help birds thrive! *¡Great for kids!
10:30 am–12 pm & 3–4:30 pm | Book Signing with Ted Rechlin from Rextooth Studios!
Ted is an award-winning graphic-novelist, animator, film-maker and science communicator. He founded Rextooth Studios so he could share his passion for all things natural history and science education.
11:30 am | Storytime: My First 100 Dino Words
Join author Emma Garcia and journey back to prehistoric times as we bridge two languages to meet the creatures that roamed our Earth millions and millions of years ago. *¡Great for kids!
12 pm & 2pm | Flight Demos
Watch a live bird fly through the sky with our friends from Raptor Events LLC!
1–5 pm | Screenprinting Activity
Create a dinosaur-inspired screenprinted tote bag with our friends from Nova Community Arts.
Keep an eye out for…
Dinosaur Walkabouts
Meet NHM puppets Hunter, Dakota and friends! *¡Great for kids!
Meet our Dino Fest participants!
Dr. Alan H. Turner
Dr. Alan Turner received his PhD in 2008 in Vertebrate Paleontology at Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University in New York. Dr. Turner's research centers on the morphological evolution and phylogeny of advanced theropod dinosaurs and Mesozoic crocodile relatives. His fieldwork has led him to collect fossils around the world in places like Mongolia, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, and the American Southwest. He has named thirteen new species of dinosaur or close dinosaur relatives and seven species of fossil crocodiles.
Dr. Amy Balanoff
Amy Balanoff is an assistant professor in the Center for Functional Anatomy & Evolution at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She holds appointments in the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University. Research in her lab focuses on the interplay between behavioral innovation with anatomical structure and function during the transition from the primarily two-dimensional environment of ground-dwelling dinosaurs to the three-dimensional environment experienced by most birds today.
Luis M. Chiappe - Senior VP, Research & Collections and Gretchen Augustyn Director, Dinosaur Institute at NHMLA
Dr. Chiappe oversees the research programs of more than 25 PhD scientists and the vast collections of NHMLAC. A vertebrate paleontologist and the Gretchen Augustyn Director of the Dinosaur Institute, he has conducted extensive research on the evolution of dinosaurs, particularly on their evolutionary connection with birds. Dr. Chiappe’s research has been published in nearly 200 scholarly articles, he’s also the author of Walking on Eggs, Glorified Dinosaurs, and Birds of Stone. He is a J. S. Guggenheim Fellow, a Humboldt Awardee, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an Adjunct Professor at USC.
Dr. Nathan Smith - Curator of the Dinosaur Institute at NHMLA
Dr. Nathan Smith supervises the Dinosaur Institute staff and conducts research in support of NHM programs. He holds a B.A. from Augustana College, M.S. from the University of Iowa, and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Nate was a professor at Howard University before joining NHM in 2015. Fieldwork has taken Nate to Antarctica, Argentina, China, and the western USA. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, and focuses on the evolution of Triassic–Jurassic dinosaurs and the application of comparative methods to broad questions in paleontology. Nate's Antarctic field program is featured in the 3-D IMAX® movie, Dinosaurs of Antarctica.
Raptor Events is dedicated to supporting conservation through unforgettable educational experiences. Our interactive presentations feature birds of prey, offering audiences of all ages the chance to connect with these incredible animals up close. From silent-flying owls to high-speed falcons, each encounter is designed to inspire curiosity, respect, and a deeper commitment to protecting the natural world.
Rextooth Studios
The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. Complex life developed 580 million years ago. In that time our planet has been home to some truly amazing animals and has been the stage for incredible dramas and adventures. Rextooth Studios is a publisher telling stories about the awesome creatures that have called - and still do call - our planet home.
Rextooth does science communication via an award-winning line of books, as well as headlining events, to an audience of thousands, from Chicago, Illinois to Ekalaka, Montana. Combining illustration, animation, and storytelling, Rextooth Studios presents the past like never before.
From prestigious museums and universities, to blockbuster films, amusement park rides, video games, and toys--dinosaurs have always fascinated us. But, why?
WHY DINOSAURS follows dino-obsessed youth James Pinto and his filmmaker father Tony on a journey around the globe, interviewing world-renowned paleontologists about the latest dinosaur research, digging up 150-million-year-old bones, and encountering dinosaur fanatics of all walks of life. Together they track down the filmmakers behind Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, see the world’s largest dinosaur toy collection, and attempt to discover why everybody loves dinosaurs!
PBS's Walking with Dinosaurs
Step into the world of six iconic dinosaurs and uncover their gripping stories of love, loss, and survival. Blending the latest discoveries from across the globe and cutting-edge CGI, experience these magnificent giants walking the Earth once more.
Season 2, Episode 1: “The Orphan”
An orphaned baby Triceratops must outwit a deadly T. rex. Today, paleontologists are uncovering her remains and use stunning VFX to bring her story vividly to life.
Living Collections
Did you know the museum has a team of professional animal keepers on site 365 days a year? They take excellent care of all animals on exhibit and behind the scenes at the museum, utilizing the natural history expertise of our scientists as well as our veterinarian, who advises on any medical and nutritional needs. Because even a frog needs a doctor sometimes. We have around 15-25 species of vertebrates, and 70-100 species of invertebrates at any given time.
Follow Living Collections on Instagram @nhmla_liveanimals
Museum Educators
The Museum Educator team at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are the knowledgeable staff that enhance the visitor experience through personal interaction. Through research and training, Museum Educators create and facilitate educational programs for general museum visitors, for school groups, and for special events, both in-person and virtual.
Performing Arts
The team behind the Performing Arts department at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County creates live theatrical performances based on our exhibits, research, collections, and events. Learn more about this unique program HERE.
Research and Collections
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. The Research and Collections Department is the research institution within the museums. They create new knowledge through academic scholarship in history and science. Visitors can get up close to these fascinating objects and specimens, which are sometimes displayed in exhibitions and during museum events.
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