Museum staff are expecting more than 600 visitors on Saturday, who have taken up the free entry offer in the Evening News.

The response was so overwhelming that the museum will stay open for an extra hour until 6pm to ensure everyone gets a good look around.

Visitors to what is now called The Rotunda, the William Smith Museum of Geology will be able to view displays including dinosaur footprints, ancient skeletons and fossils alongside cutting-edge interactive video technology.

The grand public opening on Saturday will feature former Coronation Street star Susie Blake, who played Bev Unwin in the soap, who will reopen the museum and mark the start of a two-day community party.

Shirley Collier, chief executive of Scarborough Museums Trust, said: “The take-up of the Saturday free entry offer was so great that we will only be open to those people who applied for free tickets.

“However, everyone is welcome to come down and join the free community party taking place in the grounds.”

Events planned for both Saturday and Sunday include art workshops for children, magic shows, face painting and performances from Scarborough Hip Hop School and the Hatton School of Performing Arts.

There will also be music from The Pieces and Whitby Community Choir on Saturday, plus The Producers, Olly Banks and opera singer Victoria Wright on Sunday.

The museum will be open to all on Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with additional entertainment from Scarborough Symphony Orchestra and Yorkshire Coast Morris Dancers.

A private preview of the museum tomorrow for sponsors and supporters will be opened by Lord Oxburgh, an internationally renowned geologist and past president of the Geological Society.

Tomorrow a lecture will be given by Professor Hugh Torrens about geology pioneer William Smith. This lecture is free and open to the public and takes place in the Promenade Lounge at the Spa Complex from 6pm.

The extensive redevelopment work at the Rotunda has cost £4.4 million, of which £1.9 million has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Fiona Spiers, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “The Rotunda has long stood as a landmark monument to the father of English geology. Its transformation will inspire new generations to delve into history and highlights the growing importance of appreciating the planet’s origins as modern environmental pressures increase.”

The Rotunda’s largest corporate supporter, Shell, has sponsored the Shell Geology Now gallery, which uses multimedia to present current geological and environmental re-search.

James Smith, chairman of Shell UK Limited, said: “The Rotunda Museum makes geology accessible to everyone, especially the budding geologists of tomorrow.