Nauvoo Pageant

July 10 through August 4, 2012

Performances Tuesday through Saturday nights

The Frontier Country Fair begins at 7:00 pm.
The Pageant begins at 8:30 p.m.

A Tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith

Make your plans early to experience the drama and pageantry of one of America’s finest and most popular outdoor pageants. Original music, professional quality actors and colorful costumes will provide you an unforgettable 1800′s experience. Enjoy the beauty of a starlit evening along the Mississippi River with the Nauvoo Temple for a backdrop.

The Nauvoo Pageant was first performed in 2005 to commemorate the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This full event is free, as are all sites, shows, tours, rides and events in Historic Nauvoo. Parking is adjacent to the pageant grounds. Come early with your family and enjoy the “Nauvoo Remembered” daytime vignettes, as well as the many Frontier Country Fair activities, which start at 7:00 p.m. each evening. For more information about the Pageant, click here.

For information about participating in the Nauvoo Pageant, please click here.

Other activities related to the Nauvoo Pageant are the Nauvoo Remembered Historic Vignettes. For information click here (PDF).

Performances in 2012 will begin in Nauvoo on Tuesday, 10 July, and run through Saturday, 4 August. The show will be staged every evening except Sunday and Monday.

The cast includes a core of experienced actors who portray well-known early citizens of Nauvoo like Joseph and Emma Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Eliza R. Snow, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor and Brigham Young. One hundred and twenty roles will be performed each week by a rotating group of 480 ensemble cast volunteers, most of volunteers who are donating their time and paying their own living and travel expenses.

In Frontier Country Fair activities, visitors will experience a city celebration typical of the Nauvoo period. Visitors will be able to put a stitch in a quilt or take a turn dancing a reel.

Children and adults alike might participate in three-legged races, stick-pulling or other contests of skill and strength. Visitors could participate in a log-saw, then decide to rest on the lawn and listen to the Nauvoo Band. With everything from bagpipers to crafts to games such as horseshoes, marbles or hoops, there will be something for everyone.

Performances will be staged in an area southwest of the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple, in a field down from the temple bluff and just south of what’s known as the West Grove.

Joseph Smith’s role as the planner and builder of Nauvoo is portrayed in this new pageant. Of Joseph’s leadership, director David Warner observes, “Joseph Smith was a wonderful, charismatic and deeply principled leader. He embraced people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Most importantly, he was a prophet of God who taught that by living the gospel of Jesus Christ, people really can come together in harmony and peace.”

As with all activities in Nauvoo, admission to the pageant will be free of charge. While some events in Nauvoo are ticketed, tickets are not required to attend the pageant, Frontier Country Fair, or daytime vignettes.