Dinosaurs return to the Eden Project with a 40-foot T-rex

There is a Tyrannosaurus rex standing in the Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project, and it is 40 feet long. It is not alone. Fourteen more animatronic dinosaurs have moved in among the tropical planting for the summer holidays, ten years on from the attraction’s famous Dinosaur Uprising, and this time the whole thing is close to three times the size.

Dinosaurs Return is open now and runs through the summer, landing in the same year the Cornwall gardens mark 25 years as an educational charity.

What’s in the Biome

The idea is a journey through deep time, with 15 animatronic dinosaurs hidden in the greenery so you keep stumbling across them. Several are life-size. The T-rex looms over the steamy planting, while giant Pterosaurs with wingspans of up to four metres hang from the Biome beams overhead.

Eden’s resident palaeontologist needs help tracking down and identifying the new residents. Look closely and you might find a nesting Oviraptor, catch a glimpse of Raptors tucked into the vegetation, or come face to face with a seven-metre-long Parasaurolophus. Rounding out the cast are the fish-eating Baryonyx, armoured Ankylosauruses, and a towering Triceratops, each placed to catch you off guard.

The dinosaurs can be seen from the Rainforest Canopy Walkway as well as at ground level among the dense tropical planting.

Olivier Award-winning theatre, three times a day

The other headline draw is Dinosaur World Live, the Olivier Award-winning show that has toured theatres around the world. It is included in the price of admission and runs three times daily, seven days a week, throughout the summer holidays, with each performance lasting 45 minutes.

The production puts eight life-size dinosaurs on stage, from T-rex and Triceratops to giant flying reptiles, and mixes theatre, science and storytelling for both children and the adults with them.

Alongside the big set pieces and the live show, there is a run of hands-on activities, dinosaur-themed crafts and storytelling sessions built around play and curiosity.

Why the Rainforest Biome fits

Simon Townsend, General Manager at the Eden Project, said the return had been a long time coming. “This is one of Eden’s most famous and much-loved summer programmes, and we are incredibly excited to be bringing it back on an even bigger scale than ten years ago.

“The sheer size, level of detail and the way the dinosaurs are integrated in the Rainforest Biome makes this an experience unlike anything else in the UK. At a time when dinosaurs are capturing the imagination again, from major films and television to new scientific discoveries, this summer at Eden offers a truly spectacular way to experience them in a setting that’s as dramatic as the creatures themselves.”

There is a reason the dinosaurs have been placed where they have. All the species on show at Eden lived during the Cretaceous period, when global average temperatures are thought to have ranged between 18 and 25°C and large parts of the planet were covered in warm, humid rainforest, much like the world recreated inside the Biome.

“Positioning the dinosaurs within this living landscape gives visitors a rare opportunity to see them where they truly make sense,” Simon said, “surrounded by greenery that closely mirrors the world they once inhabited.”

What it costs, and the VAT saving

All summer holiday activities, including the showings of Dinosaur World Live, are covered by a standard Eden Project ticket.

Eden is passing on savings from the government’s VAT cut. Under the reduced rate, general admission works out at £31.06 for an adult and £10.94 per child when booked in advance, which the gardens say represents a 23 per cent saving for a family of four. Children’s meals are also coming down under the scheme. The reduced pricing applies to visits between 25 June and 1 September 2026.

There is more on offer than the dinosaurs, too. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, produced by the Natural History Museum, is back at Eden from 6 June to 5 September, showing off images from one of the most prestigious wildlife photography competitions in the world.

Dinosaurs Return runs from 25 July to 6 September. Prebooking online gets you the best price, and more information is available at www.edenproject.com.