The highly anticipated Dinosaur World festival, set to take place at Police Park in East London next month, may not be all it claims to be, as concerns have emerged from residents who are questioning the legitimacy of the festival.
The festival, also known as the Jurassic Giants Festival, last visited East London in 2016 at Vincent Park Mall but was subsequently cancelled after one day because it failed to meet the expectations set by its initial promises. In October 2023, the same festival was cancelled in Cape Town due to non-compliance with bylaws.
The expo promises more than 20 life-size, robotic dinosaurs and specimens as well as dinosaur-themed activities however allegations of false advertising, unresponsive organisers, and suspicious ticketing practices are raising red flags, leaving potential attendees worried.
A few social media posts of ongoing shows in other cities like Kimberley and Pietermaritzburg show that the festival is indeed happening, however, the pictures do not resemble what the company promises on their Facebook page.
Prices range from R80 for an individual ticket to R3,530 for a group of 16, which includes an inexplicable charge of R287.50.
This price includes entry to the Dino Expo, seeing the Jurassic Giants, and entry to watch the Dino Street Theatre and the Reptile Show. The less expensive packages do not include these activities and instead only guarantee access to the inflatable dinosaur playground with a jumping castle, fossil digging and various food stalls for prices ranging from R80 for individuals to R690 for 16 people.
The GO!&Express reached out to the event organiser, David Huni to ascertain his response to fears that the event is a potential scam. He said he believes he has many enemies who want to see the festival fail and are sabotaging his events.
Huni said: “People will always be negative. I am bringing state-of-the-art dinosaurs that I have travelled the world with.”
In June 2022, Lisa Smibert, spokesperson at Real Dinosaurs, an Australian dinosaur company complained that Huni and his team were using images of their showcase without consent.
East London resident Monique Bianca Coetzee said: “I got scammed with this last year when they advertised for Cape Town. I booked my tickets and paid for them on their website. They cancelled the day we were supposed to leave EL. I tried getting a refund and I received nothing.”
