Our family enjoyed watching the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
*Disclosure – Our viewing of the Great Passion Play was sponsored by Eureka Springs, but all of our experiences and opinions are our own.
After family fun activities at Turtle Back Ridge Family Fun Park we headed to relax and watch the Great Passion Play. The Great Passion Play made it on our list of 20 Family Fun Things in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Be sure to check out our full list of Eureka Springs Family Activities!
What is The Great Passion Play ?
The Great Passion Play is an outdoor live play, similar to the Passion of the Christ movie. It displays the moments before and after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
When we went to see The Great Passion Play, I hadn’t done much research and figured it would be a standard play but once we arrived and saw the stage itself we realized this was going to be something extra special.
As you can see, this work of art was and continues to be so vibrant and masterfully done. The set, the costumes, the props- everything was absolutely beautiful to watch. We were so intrigued by it all.
Our experiences
It was a Friday night and the weather was perfect for an outdoor play. We headed down to the stage and found some great seats in the middle where we could see everything across the massive stage.
We are a Christian family but to be honest we hadn’t heard much about the Great Passion Play until we arrived in Eureka Springs. Knowing the story of Jesus and His crucifixion, I was initially concerned how my children would react to that portion of the play.
(Thankfully, the crucifixion portion is somewhat distant). I was also concerned if they would be able to sit through the play especially since it went from 8:30 to 10:30.
My oldest son who was age 7, really enjoyed the play and was zoned in the entire time. The animals, large amount of actors, massive stage and intriguing effects kept his attention. As for our 2 year old, that was another story.
Cale enjoyed watching most of it. He loved any scene with an animal and for awhile he stayed busy picking out different things he saw across the stage. Once he grew tired, and considering he is only 2, we let him play on and off of our phone for the remainder of the play so that he wouldn’t disturb the rest of the crowd.
Kayla and I enjoyed watching the full play and how elaborate it was. I know I keep talking about the stage but it truly surprised me. I was thankful to have my DSLR camera so that I could zoom in and get closer photos. (Be sure to bring a camera with a zoom or binoculars to see closer views).
Overall, we loved the play and hope to see it again someday. It’s one of those plays that has so much going on that there is always more details to seek out knowing you might not have noticed them the first time.
5 Facts about The Great Passion Play
5. The Great Passion Play is “America’s #1 Attended Outdoor Drama” according to the Institute of Outdoor Theatre and Drama of East Carolina University at Greenville.
4. It still performs in the rain and if there is distant lightning.
3. The set is 3 stories tall and 550 feet across. (The size of two football fields)
2. The cast contains over 170 actors and dozens of birds and animals.
1. Since 1968 over 7.7 million people have seen the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Additional Information on the Great Passion Play
Ticket Costs
Play (only)
Adult (age 17+) – $28.00
Youth (age 12-16) – $18.00
Child (age 4-11) – $14.00
Minister – $14.00
Snacks
A variety of snacks are available for purchase from your seat. We saw a popcorn vendor, a water bottle vendor and a program vendor walking throughout the seats before the play.
Gift Shops
There are multiple gift shops with all kinds of merchandise.
Other Fun Things on the grounds.
The Passion Play isn’t the only attraction here, you can see many other things while visiting. We will mention a few below but you can find more on their official website.
There are biblical tours and a petting zoo to name a couple.
You can even dine in a buffet hall and a chapel.
No trip is complete without seeing the Christ of the Ozarks Statue.
Christ of the Ozarks
Location
Where is the Passion Play?
It is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
You can see exactly where on the map below.
Even more info
If you need even more info please check out the official Great Passion Play Website.
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More Eureka Springs Family Fun
Check out our 20 Family Fun Things in Eureka Springs Article!