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 given to the paleontology collections and prep lab, and many community partners and activities fill the Museum. DinoFest is anchored by expert lectures presented by NHMU and visiting paleontologists from around the world, who explore a different theme each year.

DinoFest Speaker Lineup:

12:00 p.m. Keynote by Laura E. Wilson, Ph. D.Surviving Hell’s Aquarium

1:00 p.m. DinoBite by Alyssa Bell, Ph. D.Into the Sea: The Evolution of the Hesperornithiformes

1:30 p.m. DinoBite by Kiersten Formoso, Ph. D.Land Before Sea: Terrestrial Ancestry and Aquatic Morphology

2:00 p.m. DinoBite by Andrew Milner, Ph. D.Swimming With Dinosaurs: What Traces and Traces Tell Us About Aquatic Behaviors of Dinosaurs

2:30 p.m. DinoBite by Joshua Lively, Ph. D.Mosasaurs: From Lizards to Leviathans in 30 Million Years