Chaos of the good kind at Mead Open Farm’s Dino Week

child playing on a toy tractor at mead farm

Taking two kids out for the day on my own I was expecting intermittent tantrums and breakdowns, especially in 32 degree heat, however Dino Week at Mead Open Farm came up absolute trumps and the only shouting was for ‘one more turn’ and tears only appeared when it was time to head home.

by Anna Watt

- May 27, 2026

Animal Encounters

Mead Open Farm already has a lot going for it- huge indoor and outdoor play areas, a splash park, climbing walls, go-karts, rope walks, animal encounters, tractor rides and so, so much more. With Dino Week the whole place rises a few notches with dinosaur themed events, shows and dinosaurs everywhere, and surprisingly realistic ones at that, not cardboard cutouts or ill-fitting fancy dress outfits. These dinosaurs roar, screech, stomp and even dance and play football.

The live dino shows are entertaining and the perfect length to keep the kids enthralled throughout. The actors keep things energetic and humorous and audience participation opportunities kept the kids on their toes with hands shooting in the air at any opportunity to be called up. The dino disco got my five-year-olds vote as the best show, whilst the 10-year-old absolutely loved the prehistoric world cup.

children playing in a park and a goat looking through the cage bars

Despite all the great shows, the dinosaurs aren’t the only attraction competing for attention. Armed with bags of feed, the farm animals were a real draw, especially the goats, many of whom put on a bit of a show climbing up onto their hind legs in the scramble to munch on handfuls of feed. The timing couldn’t have been better with lots of baby animals to coo over, we even got to bottle feed some adorable lambs.

Moving from animal barn to play area to event space was easy, and you regular come across the actors playing cavemen who lead around the animatronic dinosaurs, interacting with the kids throughout the day. This makes Dino Week work so well, you are never waiting for the next activity as there is constantly something to do or something happening, there were absolutely no moments of boredom.

childrens play area at mead park

Practicalities

With the high temperatures this week, the indoor areas were much appreciated as a respite from the sun, however even if you are staying outside, there’s plenty of shade, and lots of picnic tables dotted about the space from which to enjoy either a picnic you brought along, or any of the food available on-site.

A few practical notes:

Arrive early. We got there 15 minutes after it opened and the car park was already filling up.
Bring spare clothes if your children are magnetically attracted to water
Download the Mead Open Farm app. All events are listed with the times, with an interactive map that clearly leads you to each location.
Bring plenty of water, although you can purchase small bottles, there are no taps from which to fill up drinking bottles.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, I would 100% recommend it. A brilliant day out for families with kids up to around the age of 10. As we were leaving my two were asking when they can go back but conversations didn’t last long as both were snoozing in the car within five minutes of leaving, a sign of a great day.

Price:

Child- from £12.95 to £17.95

Adults- From £12.95 to £17.95

Dino Week is running until 31 May.

More information:
https://www.meadopenfarm.co.uk/events/view/dino-week

Mead Open Farm, Stanbridge Road,
Billington, Bedfordshire, LU7 9JH

By Anna Watt

mead farm dino week