Nauvoo Pageant Events

Frontier Country Fair Activities

Each night, prior to the Nauvoo Pageant, a Frontier Country Fair takes place from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  On the field adjoining the pageant site.  Cast members in costume invite visitors to participate in 1840′s games, dances, handicrafts, and activities including log sawing, a children’s puppet show, stick ball, round dancing to a live fold band, sack races, rag-rug braiding, relay races and other fun and family-oriented events for all ages.

Pageant Performances

The Nauvoo Pageant begins each night at 8:30 p.m. with the stirring strains of bagpipes leading a parade of cast and audience members, young and old, from the fairgrounds into the pageant venue.

A core cast of 20 actors delivers its lines live each night, joined on stage by a volunteer ensemble of 150 cast members.

Together, they share the story of Nauvoo, how it came to be and what it meant to those who lived there in the 1840′s. In doing so, the Nauvoo Pageant pays tribute to the Prophet Joseph Smith, commemorates the building of the original Nauvoo Temple, and celebrates universal themes of faith, family, and community.

After the performance, audience members are invited to linger at the pageant site to meet and mingle with cast and crew members. The Navuoo Pageant: See it this summer; remember it always.

Nauvoo Remembered Historical Vignettes

Meet pageant core cast members in an intimate setting and learn more about events related to Historic Nauvoo and the pageant. Each of these six vignettes is performed twice weekly at various locations in Old Nauvoo.

Trail of Hope

Stroll Parley Street to the riverbank and meet those who walked this road in the 1840s as they left their homes and headed west. Small groups will leave the Seventies Hall on Parley Street every few minutes Thursdays and Saturdays from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m.
July 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30

King Follett Discourse

The actor portraying Joseph Smith presents portions of one of the Prophet’s last major discourses, sharing profound insights on the nature of God and the immortality of man. Performances in the West Grove [north of the pageant site] Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:00 p.m.
July 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29

Women of Nauvoo

Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and several other women of Old Nauvoo share their experiences with and love for the Relief Society. What began here in Nauvoo under the direction of a prophet in 1842 has grown from just 20 women to become the largest women’s organization in the world, with more than five million members in 176 nations.
Performances in the Relief Society Garden [by the Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center] Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.
July 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28

Letters of Joseph and Emma

Readings from the actual letters of Joseph Smith and his beloved wife Emma offer poignant insights into their lives. Join Joseph, Emma, and Lucy Mack Smith for this tender love story. Performances by the Mansion House [corner of Water and Main Streets] Wednesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m.
July 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29

Go Ye Into All The World

Evoking laughter as well as tears, Elder Parley Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, Heber Kimball and Bringham Young share their missionary experiences and their testimonies. Performances in the Seventies Hall [on Parley Street] Thursdays and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m.
July 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30

Youth of Zion

All ages will enjoy meeting the young people of Old Nauvoo. mary and Caroline Rollins, George Q. Cannon, and Robert Dennison share their stories of bravery, testimony, and good old-fashioned fun. Performances across from the Print Shop [on Main Street] Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m.
July 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30

Our Story Goes On

Our Story Goes On is a vignette based in the mid-west and tells heart warming stories through word and song and will give you a chance to meet some of the staff that perform in the Nauvoo Pageant.