In addition to our year-round activities, Nauvoo is the location for many wonderful events and festivals your whole family will enjoy. Many of these events have become regional traditions and attract people from around the world.
Participate in a real archeological dig in Nauvoo this summer. This will be the seventh year of digging in Nauvoo. We will be digging from May 14 to June 20. Visit idignauvoo for more information.
Historic Nauvoo presents a variety of shows during the summer from May 25 through August 10 watch "Sunset by the Mississippi", "Just Plain Anna Amanda", "The Promise" and many others. Click here for more information.
The third annual Mulholland Music Fest will be held in Nauvoo on Saturday, May 25 at the former Nauvoo Elementary School grounds - Free Admission. Activities and food starting at 4 p.m., music will start at 5 p.m. and will last as long as we have performers! Performers include: 2 Fifths - Brian Boyer & Jeff Arntzen with special guest Marsha Carter, Alisa Fisher, Matt Van Horn, Ayer & Oaks, Trent Stevenson, Dallas Kraus. Bounce House, Face Painting, Food, Fun and More! Bring your lawn chairs for an evening of Family Fun!
Come to beautiful Nauvoo on Memorial Day weekend for a special community picnic with great food for a free-will offering, music performances and a patriotic flag ceremony honoring our heroic service men & women. The special celebration will be held on May 27, 2019, at the Nauvoo City Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and has become a great tradition for those who both visit and live in Nauvoo. Sponsored by the Nauvoo Betterment Association, a group dedicated to promoting and encouraging improvements to the quality of life in Nauvoo.
The Third Annual Nauvoo Fairy Door Trail is a fun new way to experience Nauvoo. Visitors can see many varieties of Fairy Doors up and down Mulholland Street. The Fairy Garden Contest is Saturday, June 1 with gardens on display at Hotel Nauvoo from 10:00 am to 12:00. Prizes will be awarded at 12:00. Story hour will follow at the Nauvoo Public Library. Information about the Fairy Garden Contest can be found on the Nauvoo Fairy Door Trail Facebook page.
The Redhead Express is an American country music band consisting of four sisters. Their music is a homegrown blend of contemporary country, old fashioned bluegrass and Americana. Based in Nashville, they have been performing across the country for the last 10 years. They will be performing at the Legacy Theater in Carthage on Friday, June 14th at 7:00 pm.
The first Nauvoo Community Band Concert of the summer is Monday, June 17th at 8:15 pm on the Outdoor Stage East of the Historic Nauvoo Visitors Center. Come and enjoy a variety of marches, overtures, Broadway and other genres of music.
Gather your team of entertainment trivia geniuses, enjoy the entertainment, and compete for the title of Trivia Super Stars! All who attend are sure to have a fun time laughing at each other's encyclopedic knowledge of movies, TV and music trivia, and contend with friends and neighbors for the championship.
Memorial services will be held on the anniversary of the June 27, 1844, assassinations of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. Joseph Smith organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a Nauvoo founder and early mayor. Services will be held at the Smith family cemetery in Nauvoo on the corner of Water and Main Streets at 11:50 a.m. and later in Carthage at the Historic Carthage Jail Visitors Center, 310 Buchanan Street at 5:00 p.m.
The Hughes Brothers from Branson are coming to Carthage! They are bringing their entire family of 50 amazing singers, dancers, musicians and performers. Their musical talents appeal to all ages. They will be performing at the Legacy Theater in Carthage on Saturday, June 28th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, June 29th at 2:00 and 7:00 pm.
The Blue Lake Interantional Exchange Ensemble is returning to Carthage for its seventh season. Balletschule Feibicke, a ballet company from Berlin, Germany, will perform at the Legacy Theater in Carthage on Friday, July 5th at 7:00 pm.
Nauvoo will be hosting a band concert and fireworks display on Friday, July 5th. The band concert will be at 8:30 pm on the plaza west of the Nauvoo Temple, a great location to view the fireworks. The fireworks will start at dusk, approximately 9:30 p.m.
You'll love the 4th of July in the Nauvoo region. There are many firework displays that can be seen up and down the Mighty Mississippi and Hancock County's celebration is in Carthage, Illinois - just 25 minutes from Nauvoo!
Nauvoo will host the 7th Annual Cruisin’ for the Kids Cruise Night in Nauvoo on Saturday, July 6th. This event is free and open to all ages with a special area for those under 21 years of age and includes an optional cruise through town, specialty awards, and prize giveaways. The cruise night is open to all makes, models, and all age groups.
This event is to help promote the sport of hot rodding and the Festival on Wheels / Tom Ciolek Memorial Scholarship that is available to an area senior heading into an accredited automotive program after high school.
The Nauvoo Pageant fills the summer evenings of Nauvoo with authentic hymns and folksongs, lively dances and tender moments that share the joy and tell the stories the early days of Nauvoo. Inspired by journals, sermons and historic records of the period, the pageant is a fun and enjoyable performance with a great story to tell. The pageant is held July 9th thru August 3rd, with performances Tuesday through Saturday night.
Come early and enjoy the Country Fair starting at 7:00 p.m. Join in a variety of pioneer games and activities. Enjoy some toe tapping music while learning pioneer dances.
Learn more about the Nauvoo and British Pageant and other activities.
The Nauvoo Grape Festival is an annual celebration held the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend in the Nauvoo State Park and surrounding areas of Nauvoo. This long-running festival is packed with activities including competitive events, parades, live entertainment and more! The weekend also features the Festival on Wheels Car Show, one of the region's largest open air car shows.
Learn More! See the Festival Calendar!
Nauvoo is host to one of the largest and most impressive car shows in the region. The Festival on Wheels Car Show is an open-air showcase of classic cars from all stages of automobile history. Come see this amazing collection of cars and stay for great food & live music.
Learn More! See the Festival on Wheels Calendar!
On Saturday, October 5th, Nauvoo will host the third annual Scarecrow Festival. Over twenty-five scarecrows will be on display along the Mulholland Street business district. Awards will be given to the top 3 entries during the Scarecrow Stroll held on October 5th. Following the stroll event, the scarecrows will remain on display through the annual “Boo-ti-ful” Nauvoo Pumpkin Walk, which will be held on October 26, 2019.
Take advantage of the "Photo Frame" opportunity to have memories captured using your cell phone or camera.
The third annual Scarecrow Festival is sponsored by the Nauvoo Betterment Association, a group dedicated to promoting and encouraging improvements to the quality of life in Nauvoo.
On Saturday, October 5th, Nauvoo will host the third annual Scarecrow Stroll. At 2 p.m. a ribbon cutting ceremony and award ceremony will take place on the lawn of Hotel Nauvoo, 1290 Mulholland Street. The Scarecrow Stroll event will take place from 2 pm. to 4 p.m. along the Mulholland Street business district. Over twenty-five scarecrows will be on display and will be joined by Minions and “Strolling Scarecrows.”
Following the stroll event, the scarecrows will remain on display through the annual “Boo-ti-ful” Nauvoo Pumpkin Walk, which will be held on Saturday, October 26th.
The third annual Scarecrow Stroll is sponsored by the Nauvoo Betterment Association, a group dedicated to promoting and encouraging improvements to the quality of life in Nauvoo.
The Nauvoo Community Center Capital Campaign Committee is sponsoring an auction on Saturday, October 12 at the former grade school gym. Sullivan Auctioneers will be in charge. Now is the time to start thinking about what you'd like to donate. Be watching for more information.
The city of Nauvoo is again coming alive in the Halloween Spirit as it hosts its annual Pumpkin Walk on Saturday, October 26, 2019. This year’s event will again feature hundreds of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns that will be lit and displayed along Mulholland Street. Many of the Nauvoo merchants will operate on extended hours with specials, treats and entertainment throughout the day. The pumpkin chucker will return as a favorite activity!
Come and join with others in sharing a Thanksgiving dinner at 5:00 p.m. at the Nauvoo Fire Station.
On Saturday, December 7th, the Nauvoo Public Library will be showing a movie at 2:30 in the old elementary school gym. The Nauvoo Fire Protection District will host its annual soup supper at the Fire Station from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by the Nauvoo Community Choir and Orchestra's performance of "The Messiah" at 7:30 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church.
The Nauvoo Christmas Walk will be held Saturday, November 30th and Saturday, December 14th with festivities beginning in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center at 5:45 p.m.and running through 9:00 p.m. The festivities start with a Tree Lighting Ceremony and program at 5:45 followed by a Live Nativity program which will be performed twice in the West Theater. There will be wagon rides thru Historic Nauvoo and to the various sites where the history of popular Christmas Carols will be told. Each site will have the story of a different carol. Refreshments will be served in the Family Living Center. The public is invited and all activities, treats, etc. are free.
The Nauvoo Christmas Walk will be held Saturday, November 30th and Saturday, December 14th with festivities beginning in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center at 5:45 p.m.and running through 9:00 p.m. The festivities start with a Tree Lighting Ceremony and program at 5:45 followed by a Live Nativity program which will be performed twice in the West Theater. There will be wagon rides thru Historic Nauvoo and to the various sites where the history of popular Christmas Carols will be told. Each site will have the story of a different carol. Refreshments will be served in the Family Living Center. The public is invited and all activities, treats, etc. are free.
The City of Nauvoo, Nauvoo Tourism Office, Joseph Smith Historic Site and Historic Nauvoo sponsor an annual gathering to celebrate the full gamut of Nauvoo’s legacy - its Native American peoples, its origins as a river town, its role in the Latter-day Saints’ history, its place in the utopian Icarian movement, its appeal to German immigrants, its contribution to the Sisters of St. Benedict ministry, its significance in Midwest viticulture, its reflection of trends in American agriculture, and its rebirth as a point of heritage tourism. This gathering is a venue for sharing stories that have not yet entered into the standard narrative of the histories of Hancock and Lee counties. The 10th Annual Untold Nauvoo Stories symposium will be held January 31 - February 1 at various locations throughout Nauvoo.
Join with others to honor the Pioneers who left Nauvoo in the winter of 1846. There will be a free continental breakfast at the Family Living Center (located on White Street, between Main and Granger) at 10:00 a.m. and then a walk down Parley Street with members of the Nauvoo Legion. There will be a brief program at the end of Parley Street. Click here for more information
