THE largest palaeontological event in the UK will make its return to Lyme Regis next month.

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival will return to Lyme Regis on June 8 and 9 and will celebrate 200 years since Mary Anning's plesiosaur discovery.

The festival, which is backed by national treasure Sir David Attenborough, will host some the country’s top palaeontological and geological organisations and experts over the course of the weekend.

The festival will provide a whole host of free and engaging family-friendly shows, exhibitions, talks and activities over the course of the weekend, across a number of sites along the seafront and in the town.

The Lyme Regis area is one of the most famous fossil sites in the world and was where one of the most famous palaeontologists, Mary Anning, made many of her ground-breaking discoveries.

Lyme Regis Museum, organisers of the event along with supporting organisations including The Etches Collection, Lyme Regis Town Council and Dorset Council and sponsors, is promising the most ambitious programme to date over the course of the weekend centred around the 200 year anniversary of the reveal of Mary Anning’s now world-famous plesiosaurus to the scientific community.

Highlights of the festival will include the much-anticipated premiere of ‘Mary Anning and the Dinosaur Hunters’ directed by Sharon Sheehan.

The film was shot on location and stars Jenny Agutter, Katharine Hamilton, Jonathan Moore, Paul Storrier and Sharon Sheehan.

Festival goers will have the opportunity to be amongst the first to see the film in a special screening and Q&A session on Sunday, June 9, hosted at the Marine Theatre.

There will also be exclusive screenings followed by a Q&A sessions for Tony Pinto’s ‘Why Dinosaurs?’ documentary and 'Pliosaurus - The Discovery of a Monster'

As usual, entry to Lyme Regis Museum is free for the duration of the fossil festival.

Last year, doubt was cast over whether the festival would be able to go ahead due to a lack of cash

READ MORE: Lyme Regis Fossil Festival cancelled for 2023 due to lack of funding

The news was met with sadness and efforts were made to save the much-loved event. 

However the event did go ahead in April 2023.

Visitors will also be treated to a public screening of Tony Pinto’s Why Dinosaurs? accompanied by a live Q&A session with Dr Dean Lomax.

There will additionally be an exclusive screening of Pliosaurus – The Discovery of a Monster.

The festival will provide an opportunity for visitors to see amazing exhibits from The Natural History Museum, The Etches Collection and Dinosaur Isle Museum, meet bestselling authors Darren Naish and Tom Sharpe, and enjoy live performances from A Wonderful Adventure.

A Lyme Regis Museum representative said: “We would like to thank our event supporters and sponsors without whom our rich and varied programme for the weekend, our most ambitious to date, would not be possible.

"We can’t wait to share and celebrate the geological heritage of the incredible coast on our doorstep and the life and discoveries of our very own Mary Anning with visitors at the Fossil Festival this year.”