Nauvoo Pageant

Nauvoo Pageant Leadership
The Nauvoo Pageant Leadership Team
1st Counselor Couple Lem & Laura Levitt (Left)
Pageant Chair Couple Wayne & Kristine Larsen (Center)
2nd Counselor Couple Bill & Debby Thiemann (Right)

We invite you to come stroll the streets and tour the historic homes and enjoy the lively shows by the Nauvoo Performing Missionaries. Experience the majestic Nauvoo Temple on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. And don't miss these two inspirational pageant performances. But if you can't come during the pageant, come anytime. There is so much to see and do in historic Nauvoo Illinois! Let us know if you have any questions or comments email us here. We hope to see you in Nauvoo!




Pageant Performances
July 9 - Aug 3, 2024
Nauvoo Pageant: Tues, Thurs & Sat
British Pageant: Wed & Fri

We invite you to celebrate the legacy of the early pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo. Games and activities of the 1840s are provided for guests at the pageant pre show celebration and country fair beginning at 7:00 p.m. The outdoor pageant performances begin at 8:30 p.m. No reservations are needed for the country fair or the pageant, and no tickets are required.


A Video Glimpse of the Nauvoo Pageant

Nauvoo Pageant Glimpse

A Cast Of Hundreds On Stage

The performers consist of a core cast of 20 professional quality actors who perform the speaking parts. They are joined by over a hundred more ensemble cast members on stage each evening. These volunteer cast members are families, couples and individuals who apply to serve at their own expense. Most serve for two weeks and many make great sacrifices to be in the pageant. The core performing cast serves all summer while the five ensemble family casts serve on a rotating schedule during the pageant season. These ensemble family casts consist of over 600 individuals who volunteer their time to perform each week. The cast members range in age from young toddlers to senior citizens. They come from the US, Canada, England and abroad to participate. The Nauvoo & British Pageants bring old Nauvoo to life as these inspirational events are portrayed on stage.

Young Performing Missionaries in The British Pageant

There is so much to do in Nauvoo!

This unique historical site allows guests to see what the original city would have been like in the 1840s. You can receive a souvenir brick at the Brickyard, or experience the sights and sounds of a working pioneer Blacksmith Shop. Take a ride in a carriage or wagon pulled by draft horses and hear stories of Old Nauvoo. Find your own adventure as you discover your connection to these dedicated pioneers of Nauvoo. Visit NauvooHistoricSites.org to learn more. Nauvoo Performing Missionaries provide live shows for visitors throughout the day. Don't miss these great performances Monday thru Saturday evenings from Memorial Day to mid October.


A family enjoying the free Oxen Wagon Ride

The Nauvoo Bagpipe Band

The Bagpipe Band is one of Nauvoo's best ambassadors. The main characters of the Nauvoo Pageant are Scottish converts, and the bagpipes celebrate that scotish culture. The Nauvoo Bagpipe Band can be found performing in Nauvoo or the surrounding communities each summer. Enjoy the Bagpipe Band during your next visit to Nauvoo!

The Nauvoo Bagpipe Band

The Story Told By The Pageants

A cast and crew of more than 1,100 volunteers bring to life the amazing story of 1840's Nauvoo, Illinois. Early converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the U.S. and England are portrayed in these two outdoor theatrical productions. The pageants tell the story of the thousands of church members who left their homelands and sacrificed so much to join with other church members in Nauvoo, Illinois. Their stories of hope, joy and inspiration give us the courage to face our own unknown future trials and challenges.



Joseph and Hyrum in the Nauvoo Pageant

Pageant Seating

Seats for each night's performance are first come, first served. If you arrive right before the performance, chances are you will still get a good seat probably in the back of the seating area. Seats can also be reserved in person at 2:00 PM of the day of the performance. No phone reservations are available. Any seats that people mark prior to 2:00 PM will be removed. Those that are in the area at 2:00 PM can come to the South side of the outdoor pageant stage where twine, cards and pencils are provided to mark your seats for that night's performance. Pageant visitors line up and each group is released in the order of their arrival to go and choose seats. Once you have your seats secured, you can enjoy the pageant's Preshow Country Fair. Make sure everyone in your group knows where your seats are as it does get dark quickly as the pageant begins. Please know that there is not a bad seat! Some actually enjoy the performance from the back seats.

Pageant Seating Reservation Kiosks on South Side of Pageant Field

Have You Ever Wondered What It Is Like To Be A Pageant Cast Member?

Serving as a cast member in the Nauvoo British Pageants in Nauvoo, Illinois is an incredible experience. Here are some video clips from the 2016 pageant family ensemble cast. Get a "behind the scenes" glimpse at this unique service opportunity. See "A Day In The Life of a Cast Member" Video Series. See Videos

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The Pageant's Preshow Celebration and Country Fair

The Pageant's Country Fair is a favorite of pageant guests. Pageant guests gather each night of the pageant at 7:00 p.m. to take part in over 20 different activites from the 1840's Nauvoo era. Guests saw logs, dance round dances, tie quilts, see puppet shows, play stick ball, try stick pull and stilts, tie rugs, and much, much more. As the sun sets, young pageant guests join a bagpipe parade signaling the beginning of the Pageant performance at 8:30 PM. See Fair Pictures

Young Cast Member plays with hoop in Preshow's Country Fair

Guests enjoy "tug-o-war" during the Country Fair before the Pageant Performance

A Whirligig given to pageant guests in the Preshow's Country Fair

Service Project Opportunities

The Pageant accepts donations of items used in the Pageant's Preshow Celebration and Country Fair. These items include Whirligigs, Hankie Dolls, Rag Strips, Sock Puppets and other items. The thousands of pageant guests that enjoy the Country Fair each evening use these items, and thousands of items are even given as souvenirs each evening. These service opportunites work great for Eagle Scout projects, families, church youth or other group service projects. The items donated by these service projects greatly enhances our guest's pageant experience. We are very grateful for the help we receive each season. If you are interested in helping with these items, see Service Opportunities here.

Guests await the evening's Pageant performance

Robert & Becky Laird are lifted on shoulders in the Nauvoo Pageant

The Nauvoo & British Pageants in Nauvoo, Illinois. See them this summer - Remember them always. There has never been a better time to visit Historic Nauvoo!