DinoFest
DinoFest: Prehistoric Skies
While the dinosaurs you know and love roamed the land, the sky above was filled with ancient hunters large and small. At NHMU’s 10th-annual DinoFest on January 31 and February 1, 2026, we’re exploring the animals that dominated these Prehistoric Skies and how they interacted with dinosaurs below.
With a lineup of world-class paleontologists, we’re taking flight into the world of pterosaurs, early birds, and flying insects that lived millions of years ago. Our DinoFest experts will offer you a rare, inside look at the latest discoveries from the world of paleontology and provide answers to your pressing questions.
Join us at DinoFest: Prehistoric Skies for a journey into the past that you can’t find anywhere else. As always, you will enjoy special access to the Paleo Preparation Lab and Paleontology Collections to get up close with incredible fossils. And this year, for the first time, we’re offering paleontology-themed workshops for fans seeking more opportunities to explore DinoFest.
Follow the links listed below to see the full lineup of speakers each day of the festival. You can also stay tuned for updates by subscribing to our email lists. Doing so might win you an incredible Smilodon skull cast, the winner of which will be announced at DinoFest. (If you’re already a subscriber, you’re automatically entered!)
DinoFest Workshops
Workshop Fees Include Festival Admission
Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. the night before each workshop.
Saturday Cast a Claw | 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Registration Closed
Sunday Cast a Claw | 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Registration Closed
Take home a DinoFest souvenir that no one else can get! This workshop gives you the opportunity to create your very own claw cast based on a new, unnamed tyrannosaur species that’s only found here in Utah.
Saturday Watercolor Illustration | 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Registration Closed
Sunday Watercolor Illustration | 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Registration Closed
Learn watercolor techniques as you paint a prehistoric scene full of ancient plants, dinosaurs, insects, and flying reptiles. Illustration is all about telling a story, so let's create this story together.
Community Partners
| Bureau of Land Management | Mondego Press LLC | St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site |
| Dale Novak Illustrations | Mondster Creations | Steve Bush Illustration |
| Ghost Ranch Foundation | Ogden Nature Center | Thanksgiving Point |
| Great Salt Lake Audubon | Ogden's George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park | The Salt Lake City Public Library |
| HawkWatch International | Paleobug | UFOP/Utahraptor Project |
| Idaho Museum of Natural History | Prehistoric Museum | Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum |
| Jurassic Tacos | R.O.C.K. | Utah Native Plant Society |
| Loveland Living Planet Aquarium | Red Butte Garden and Arboretum | Utahraptor State Park |
| MLCMineralcreations | Scales & Tails Utah | Zion National Park |
About DinoFest
NHMU premiered DinoFest in 2017 and it immediately became one of NHMU's most popular events, drawing record-breaking attendance on its opening weekend. While the festival celebrates all things dinosaurs, an emphasis is placed on Utah's dinosaur discoveries which fill the Museum here in Salt Lake City. Special access is granted for guests to explore the paleontology collections and prep lab, and many dino-themed community partners and activities fill the Museum. The festival is anchored by expert lectures presented by NHMU and visiting paleontologists from around the world, who explore a different theme each year. Learn more about DinoFest through the ages.
DinoFest gives us the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap between the fun-filled fantasy side of dinosaurs that kids have grown up with, and the amazing scientific research and paleontological discoveries taking place right now in Utah and around the world.
