The Yorkshire Fossil Festival celebrates its tenth birthday later this month with its first ever visit to Redcar.

The popular festival has had two successful years post-Covid, with crowds flocking to Scarborough’s Spa in 2022 and Whitby Museum in 2023.

This year, the team are heading to the TunedIn! centre on Redcar seafront on the late May Bank Holiday weekend, where they will team up with the inaugural Redcar Kite Festival.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Yorkshire Fossil Festival co-directors, Steve 'The Rock Showman' Cousins photographed at Redcar ahead of the Yorkshire Fossil Festival Picture: Tony Bartholomew

YFF co-directors Dr Liam Herringshaw and Steve Cousins (aka The Rock Showman) said: “Our big birthday Bank Holiday bash is going to be a fabulous weekend of fossils, flight and fun! Fossils are a deep dive into the planet’s past, and they also help us take flight into the future.

“Fossils are in the news at the moment, not least with the recent discovery by a 15-year-old girl in Somerset of what’s believed to be the largest ever Ichthyosaur. The rocks there are of very similar age to Redcar’s, and many marine reptile fossils have been found along this coast – who knows what we might find?

Darlington and Stockton Times: Fossils at the Whitby event

“We’re really looking forward to working with our friends at the Redcar Kite Festival for a truly memorable weekend.”

Events over the weekend will include:

  • Redcar rocks: Guided beach walks where visitors may see a prehistoric forest or find the fossils of Jurassic giants amongst the rocks. Scientists will be on hand to talk about ancient environments and identify long-extinct creatures. Flip the robot plesiosaur, the star of BBC TV’s Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster will be joining the team in Redcar, expertly handled by creator Dr Luke Muscutt of Imperial College London.
  • Show us your toenails: Curvy Jurassic seashells, often known as devil's toenails, are very common on Redcar beach. The YFF’s Devil's (Toenail) Advocate – palaeontologist Dr Jed Atkinson – and a team of artists, scientists and storytellers will tell toenail tales.
  • Meet the experts: All weekend, fossil experts from across the country will be on hand to show off their discoveries and identify finds. There will be talks, walks, and workshops, and a Festival Field Day on Monday, May 27 (locations to be confirmed, but likely to be Redcar, Whitby and Speeton).

Darlington and Stockton Times: Yorkshire Fossil Festival co-directors, Liam Herringshaw and Steve 'The Rock Showman' Cousins photographed at Redcar ahead of the Yorkshire Fossil Festival which takes place from 25 -27 May 2024 Picture: Tony Bartholomew

There will also be a full programme of entertainment, including street theatre, dance, live music and circus. Expert exhibitors will include The Palaeontological Association, the Geologists' Association, the British Geological Survey, the University of Leeds, Whitby Museum, the Yorkshire Geological Society, the Yorkshire Natural History Museum, York Museums Trust, Fossils in t'Hills and the Dinosaur Isle Museum, alongside trade stands from Natural Wonders/Fossils-UK, Yorkshire Coast Fossils, The Yorkshire Fossil Hunter, Neojurassica, Stone Treasures, Doghouse Designs, and the Jurassic Coast Drinks Company.

The festival will take place at the TunedIn! centre, Majuba Road, Redcar, between 11am and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26. See yorkshirefossilfestival.co.uk and www.facebook.com/yorksfossilfest for updates.