Crowds flock to sunny Lyme Regis for spectacular Fossil Festival weekend
Lyme Regis welcomed thousands of visitors over the weekend of 13–14 June as the town once again played host to the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, the UK’s largest palaeontology event.
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people descended on the town across the two days, with many making the trip from far beyond Dorset, some visitors travelling from as far afield as Canada and Australia to take part in the celebrations. With glorious sunshine throughout the weekend, the festival spread out further than ever before, with activities taking place across Lister Gardens, Marine Parade, the Town Mill and other venues throughout the town.
Headline talks at the Marine Theatre proved enormously popular, with sell-out crowds turning out to hear from leading palaeontologists including Dr Dean Lomax and Professor Mike Benton. The Terrible Lizards Podcast also returned for a sell-out live recording, drawing palaeontology enthusiasts of all ages eager to see the hit show performed in person at the Royal Lion Hotel.
New for 2026, the festival’s palaeoart workshops were a particular highlight, giving visitors the chance to get hands-on and explore the artistic side of palaeontology. The festival’s continued expansion into the Town Mill area gave additional room for an Art and Craft Market, allowing the event to spread out and welcome even more visitors comfortably across the town.
Major institutions including the Natural History Museum, The Etches Collection and Dinosaur Isle once again brought their expertise to the festival, while the Mary Anning Walk, guided beach fossil walks and performances from The Rock Showman, Lyme Regis Town Band, Lyme Morris and the Lyme Bay Moonrakers added to a packed weekend of entertainment and learning. The festival’s marketplace also proved a hit with visitors, who enjoyed browsing a wide range of fossil-related items, artwork and crafts across the main Marquee on Lister Gardens, Marine Parade and the Art and Craft Market in the Town Mill area.
Children went free at Lyme Regis Museum throughout the festival and for the first time visitors had the opportunity to see the Mary Anning letter fragment on display, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of the town’s most famous fossil hunter.
This year’s event was made possible by an award of funds from Airbnb’s ‘Best of British Fund’ and sponsorship and support from a variety of organisations including Lyme Regis Town Council, The Geologists’ Association, The Palaeontological Association, Fossils UK and UK Fossils.
Bridget Houseago, Director of Lyme Regis Museum, said:
“This year’s Fossil Festival has been a real joy to be part of. There is something wonderful about watching the palaeontology community come together – experts, families, students and lifelong enthusiasts all sharing the same passion for fossils and discovery. The sell-out talks and busy workshops show just how much appetite there is for learning more about the prehistoric world and the sunshine certainly helped too! We are enormously grateful to all of our sponsors, supporters and volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible and to everyone who made this weekend so special. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back next year.”
The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival is organised by Lyme Regis Museum and has been running since 2005, celebrating the geological heritage of the Jurassic Coast – England’s only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site.
ENDS
For more information, images or interview requests, please contact ewentzell@lymeregismuseum.co.uk