The Nauvoo Pageant is a wonderful production done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during the month of July. The Pageant has been closed for the last couple years and this was the first year, 2023 that it started back up, and it was wonderful! It runs through the month of July on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Church also puts on the British Pageant on Wednesday’s and Friday’s during the summer. I would highly recommend going to both pageants, they were both excellent.
The Pageant is a dramatized production of the times of Joseph Smith, specifically about his time in Nauvoo. It is about a man from Europe who’s wife converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and they and their family came across the ocean to settle with the Saints in Nauvoo. The man is not a member of the Church but came with his family for his wife, and one of their children die on the journey over. When they reach Nauvoo the man meets Joseph Smith and works through his struggles with the Prophet on what happened to his young child who died on the way over.
The Nauvoo Pageant teaches about the huge Missionary effort in Europe, but this is covered more in the British Pageant. It teaches about building the Nauvoo Temple, Jane Manning, the organization of the Relief Society, and more.
The Nauvoo Pageant is a wonderful production that gives you all the feels. It is a very well done performance, the cast and the production team did a phenomenal job and my whole family enjoyed it. Every other night during the months of July the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints puts on a performance call the Nauvoo Pageant. With wonderful environment, great singing, fun music and a good storyline, it is a Pageant you should not want to miss.
Know before you go
Get seats early. There are a million tour busses of wards, stakes and different Church History Trips so if you are there with your family make sure you get there early(they let you save seats at 2:00 pm) get down there are save seats for your family. There are plenty of seats for everyone, but if you want good seats get there and save them before the groups of a couple hundred go and save theirs.
More to see/do in Nauvoo
Pageants in Nauvoo: The Nauvoo Pageant and British Pageant
The British Pageant in Nauvoo Illinois