Family-friendly Giants exhibition opens at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s Gas Hall this weekend. It is even free for children up to the age of 15.
The immersive exhibition of giant prehistoric animals opens for the first time in the UK and runs from Saturday August 2 until Sunday November 2.
Giants has life-sized 3D model reconstructions and skeletons of creatures that roamed the earth from 66 million years ago after the extinction of dinosaurs. It includes a woolly mammoth and the mightiest shark of all time, the formidable Otodus megalodon.
There will also be an exclusive adult after-hours event when visitors can handle objects and hear from experts on September 20 from 6pm to 9pm.
Interactive elements allow visitors of all ages to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction.
Developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, it stays in Birmingham throughout the summer holidays and into the autumn for parents looking for ideas.
Visitors will see models of the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, weighing in at between six and eight tons with long thick fur and imposing tusks along with the Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate comparable in size to three orangutans.
Other prehistoric animals include:
- Paraceratherium – A prehistoric rhinoceros, the largest land mammal ever known.
- Livyatan melvillei – An ancient whale with massive teeth and cousin of the sperm whale.
- Megatherium americanum – One of the largest giant sloth species.
- Smilodon populator – The largest and most iconic Saber-toothed cat.
- Panthera spelaea – The cave lion, one of the largest felines to roam the Earth.
There will also be spotlight tours of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s iconic Round Room and Industrial Gallery and the opportunity to enjoy a limited edition craft beer from the Birmingham Brewing Company in the Tearoom bar.
Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Giants exhibition to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for its UK debut.
“This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination about the creatures of the past with its monumental scale but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet for the future.
“Birmingham Museums is committed to using storytelling to engage communities with the challenges of our time and Giants does exactly that in a powerful and accessible way.”
Giants is in Gas Hall at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Saturday August 2 until Sunday November 2. It is open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm.
Tickets cost £15.50 adult and £8 concessions and it is free for children up to the age of 15.
Tickets for the late opening of Giants must be booked in advance via the Birmingham Museums website. General admission tickets to the exhibition can also be pre-booked online or bought on arrival, subject to availability.