Dinos Alive is heading to Durban from November 2015 – January 2016 after a year-long tour of the country. An Expo Africa production, Dinos Alive will be situated at Suncoast Casino, Hotels & Entertainment in Durban’s Golden Mile until January 2016.
With 25 dinosaurs on show, this is a fully-fledged Dinos Alive exhibition. Hollywood elite like the Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociprator will front and centre and Etienne Schlechter, Director of Expo Africa and organiser of the event, believes Durban children will love the experience. “After the excitement of the Jurassic World film earlier this year, Dinos Alive has been a great way to see these creatures in the flesh, as it were. Since the start, the exhibition has been a hit with kids and adults too. Each dinosaur is animatronic, meaning it moves and roars. These are realistic approximations of the real thing.”
Schlechter believes Dinos Alive holds real educational merits too, and has been a source of intrigue for school children since the start. “We’ve recently been exhibiting in Witbank, where once again, the reception has been great. But from the start in Cape Town and later Pretoria and Bloemfontein, school children have been unanimous in their appreciation.”
The exhibition actively strives to act as an educational tool that sheds light on what life was like during prehistoric times. “The Durban exhibition will feature five information boards that explain the three historic ages of the dinosaur: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous, as well as a look at life before and after these lizards roamed earth.”
Schlechter continues. “The educational aspect of the exhibition is important to us. We want the experience to be fun, but also a learning opportunity for children. And of course, their parents and teachers too!”
The dinosaurs are realistically modelled after their real-life counterparts, with lifelike skin and texturing. The likes of the winged Pteranodon, towering Diplodocus and horn-rimmed Stegosaurus are popular attractions on show. In addition, fossil displays, a mock excavation pit and a jumping castle are on offer for children.
Each dinosaur is backed by an audio guide that explains more about the dinosaur in question. It links to the Dinos Alive WeChat account, which is accessible over all smartphones. “This is the sort of interactive element we feel elevates the Dinos Alive experience. It’s completely optional, of course, but anyone with WeChat installed can follow Dinos Alive and scan a QR code positioned beneath each dinosaur model. That code takes the viewer to an audio recording that explains the dinosaur they’re looking at in more depth.”
Durban is the exhibition’s final stop after an exhaustive year-long tour that began in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront in December 2014 with a smaller, more intimate show featuring 9 dinosaurs. Next, the exhibition moved to Pretoria in March 2015 and 9 dinosaurs grew to 25, before travelling to Bloemfontein and later Witbank.
“Suncoast is a great location for our exhibition,” Schlechter says. “Dinos Alive takes indoors so there are never weather concerns to worry about. People can visit the exhibition and then dine at a beautiful restaurant. We feel the event is perfectly situated for the people of Durban.”
25 dinosaurs will be on show in total, including 3 dinosaur rides that are suitable for children. Suncoast Casino, Hotels & Entertainment is a famed resort, known for its water attractions and plush dining locations.
Tickets have already gone on sale. Early-bird prices (until 30 Sept) are as follows: R100 for adults, R75 for children and R300 for families (Includes 2 adults and 2 children). Thereafter, R120 for adults, R85 for children and R350 for families.
Visit the Dinos Alive website on www.dinosalive.co.za, check out the Facebook page (DinosAliveSA) and follow the official WeChat account (ID: DinosAlive).