South Tyneside Festival set for prehistoric dinosaur Jurassic Live production

Huge moving fossils are set to be unveiled at this year’s This Is South Tyneside Festival, adding a prehistoric dose to an already packed programme.

Alongside an interactive circus and sea shanties, a dinosaur exhibit is also in the world for the four-day event, South Tyneside Council has revealed.

An afternoon of family-friendly entertainment will begin tomorrow at Sandhaven Promenade, with the Jurassic Live! exhibit on display from 12noon to 3pm.

The Living Fossil Company are behind the exhibit, and are set to bring to life a number of dinosaurs with skeleton puppets.

Each dinosaur measures between eight and 20ft tall, with audiences set to see two velociraptors and a giant T-Rex.

Also featured at the even will be the Five Ring Circus, which creates fully interactive events for the audience and the Old Time Sailors musical event.

The three-month-long festival will start tomorrow.

Cllr Joan Atkinson, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture, Leisure and the Visitor Economy, said the new event was a great opportunity for people to visit Sandhaven promenade and also see some North East talent.

“We have put together what is a very varied, exciting and fun programme of events with something for everybody to enjoy,” she said.

“It’s also great to be able to showcase North East performers and highlight the wealth of great talent we have here in the region.

“We are very grateful for the support of Arts Council England in helping us to stage these new arts and cultural experiences this summer and we are sure that they will be a very popular addition to the wider festival programme.”