Great Passion Play

Great Passion Play

Great Passion Play
4.5
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Performed from May through October, The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas is "America's #1 Attended Outdoor Drama." Since 1968, the Play has been seen by over 7.7 Million people from all over the world. The Play is performed beneath the night sky by a cast of around 150 actors and many live animals as well. Our hope and prayer is to make the Scriptures come alive! THE BIBLE MUSEUM is open every day except Sunday, 10:00am until 5:00pm. On days of Play performances, the Museum is open until 8:00pm (7:00pm after Labor Day). SACRED ARTS MUSEUM - Open every day before the Play from 11:00am - 8:00pm (after Labor Day until 7:00pm). Non-play days by appointment. THE HOLY LAND TOUR - a two-and-a-half-hour to three-hour guided tour. Guests are transported back in time as they walk through a full-sized replica of the East Jerusalem Gate and Marketplace to Biblically inspired exhibits which include Moses' Tabernacle in the Wilderness, Bethlehem Inn and the Nativity, the Upper Room, the Garden Tomb, the Walk with Peter, and other exhibits which depict life in Bible times. All exhibits have been researched archaeologically and historically for authenticity. Tours run on day of Play performances from 12:00pm-4:00pm. There is walking at each stop. The longest time walking at any one stop is approximately thirty minutes. During days the Play is not performed, we also have special guided tours of the Holy Land, backstage area, and lunch. These tours happen throughout the year every day but Sunday. Advanced reservations are required for these off-season tours.
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  • Rhonda G
    18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Phenomenal play of Jesus last week.
    Even though advertisement says May-October we went in April. We loved the whole experience. Before the play we got to watch a potter create a vessel and sharing Gods love for us. We enjoyed the buffet, too! The passion play was beyond our expectations! Bravo to all of you, Jesus last week of life on earth, to the cross and the empty tomb, pronominal job!! ❤️🙏❤️ ps bring something soft to cushion the seat.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 8, 2024
  • parkers612
    Rayville, Louisiana7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Delightful Performance
    My husband and I attended the Great Passion Play many years ago and decided to return to see it again. The actors did an amazing job portraying their characters. The evening was delightful. It is mind boggling that Jesus would suffer and die so that we may have eternal life.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 1, 2024
  • 755larryr
    Winnsboro, Louisiana40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An excellent and meaningful experience!
    Our experience began with the buffet, which was quite good. All members of staff we interacted with were very pleasant and helpful. The atmosphere was welcoming and friendly. The play itself was deeply inspiring and touching. It is well performed and a memorable experience for the whole family.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 1, 2024
  • Roving41804423770
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the trip
    Took day trip from Branson to the Passion Play. Hadn't been there in 20+ years. Arrive early, tour the grounds, museum, Christ of the Ozarks, the old church, watch the early program. Review the other "things to do". Our youth group had a great time. This is such a great ministry, great way to share the gospel, and renew your passion for Christ and His gospel. Churches and groups should make this an event and invite friends, family and loved ones. The saved. The lost. The back slider. The faithful. This is just an absolute great performance. Even though I've seen before, it is still touching and worthwhile. Thank you Great Passion Play!
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 15, 2024
  • evelyn h
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Just amazing, a must see
    It was wonderful, the stage and all the buildings were just amazing. My only concern was that we had a walker, and the only seating was in the last row. But I will say we sent 2 days there to see very thing they had to offer, and the staff were the best. They made sure we could get to every part of the complex with a cart to drive use.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 20, 2024
  • Travel01527819914
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quality Family Time
    We spent the entire afternoon at the Passion Play grounds and took in the Holy Land Tour, Christ of the Ozarks statue area, the petting zoo, the Bible and Art Museum, and had a wonderful family style dinner at the restaurant before attending the Passion Play that evening. Our children and grandchildren had a great time enjoying the the grounds nestled in the beautiful Ozark landscape, and the play itself was exceptional!!! I would highly recommend this during your stay in the Eureka Springs area!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 6, 2024
  • NEMMRRC
    30 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A moving experience and wholesome fun for the entire family.
    Truly a moving experience. Plan to spend the day and visit the various museums. The Holy Land tour was great. The Backstage tour is well worth it. You actually get to tour the bowels of the set and learn how the production is executed.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 7, 2024
  • Rebecca H
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Better than we expected
    The play was more than we expected. It was done well, we wondered if the sound would be able to carry in such a big outside area, but it was great. Of course the setting and costumes and players were great. If you are thinking about going...you won't be disappointed. We loved it.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 17, 2024
  • JKOzarks
    Signal Hill, California41 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't miss the Passion Play, skip the bus tour
    The Passion Play was conducted in a huge outdoor arena with an amazing range of buildings and outdoor scenes. A great Biblically based presentation. Most all of it could be heard well. With the tiered seating all seats were good. Refreshments could be brought in which is always nice. It’s inspirational to see this depiction of Jesus’ life. The buffet available on site is good for a limited menu, feeding hundreds. The pretzel vendor was the best - prepared the pretzel while we waited, never had a better one anywhere! If you aren't a tiny adult or keenly interested in the bus tour I'd skip it as we were packed into a noisy children's school bus without air conditioning on a 90+ day on and off for two hours. There was an extra stop for the driver to get out and water a camel while the guests waited in the hot bus breathing fumes. James is the program director. When some of our group couldn’t make the walks he kindly made interesting informal presentations on the stop – ask for James! There are shops and museums too. This venue is well worth the detour and time.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 24, 2024
  • Gwen H
    Tahlequah, Oklahoma3 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bad buffet, great setting, mediocre presentation
    Very disappointing buffet. Twenty dollars for a decent selection, but not one bite delighted my taste buds , and my friend was even less impressed than I was, If that's possible. The setting of the play? Now that's beautiful and soul nourishing. It's the second time I saw The passion play . I cannot understand why the voices are so stiff and scripted in a presentation of this caliber. Please, Passion play people , pay professionals to put some proper pathos and poignancy into the voices. When Martha says, "Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died," for pity's sake, she felt some strong emotion. Let the audience hear it. It sounds like a grade schooler is reading off a paper, not like a grown woman who feels betrayed and is grieving. So, there's a neat vibe. Everyone's excited, and the attendees are the best! The outdoor amphitheater is dreamy. The play has a couple of amazing spots, But mostly is a borderline cringe. Still, you should go. Not to the buffet (please don't bother) but to the play. Everybody within a few hours needs to go at least once.
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 19, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,249 reviews
Excellent
1,039
Very good
140
Average
42
Poor
16
Terrible
12

P2401PMtoddm
Deerfield, IL3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
It was a beautiful presentation and exceeding our expectations. The play was very professionally done and followed true to the Biblical account of Jesus's last week on earth prioer to his cruxifiction and resurrection.
My 8 year old daughetr and 15 year old son both enjoyed the Passion Play as did mom and dad. I'd recommend the Passion Play to anyone who loves Jesus and who wants to witness His impact on the world,
Written November 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sandi130
Fort Smith, AR78 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Couples
We hadn’t been to see the Great Passion Play in years so decided to come on our anniversary!
So glad we did! The weather was perfect - it had rained earlier in the day & the evening was nice - about 70 degrees. The setting was beautiful & the actors did a fantastic job! The story line flowed well with the scriptures! We are so glad that the Passion Play has been able to make a comeback & didn’t get shut down completely during Covid like so many others did.
They also offer tours of the Holy Land (a replica of several things in the Holy Land, a nice museum, a chapel, a dinner buffet on the nights they are having the Passion Play. And, of course, the Statue of the Christ.
A very nice & inspirational place to visit!
Written July 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Phillip W
Texas11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
We hadn’t been to see The Great Passion Play in many years, so we were curious if it was as good as it used to be. It is good, very good, and well worth the visit. It just didn’t seem quite as good as it was 25 years ago, which was the last time we were there.
The cast is great, they still use plenty of live animals, and the message is still strong. I think the disappointing thing is the lack of attendance. 25 years ago, the theater was packed. The night we went there probably was less than a thousand people there.
The problem with the show isn’t the show, but the audience itself. Or lack thereof. It is up to us to support a wonderful production such as this, or we will lose it.
I urge you to make time to visit, take your children or grandchildren with you, and hear about Jesus.
Written September 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elizabeth AHG S
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
This Summer our American Heritage Girls Theatre Camp visited and the girls loved the play! This is our third year to take Theatre Camp to The Passion Play and we plan to keep coming back for years to come! The staff here are literally the best. They are so friendly and will help you (like last year when I barely knew what I was doing in leading my group and was on the verge of a meltdown. They are literally that awesome). I also highly recommend seeing the backstage tour after you watch the play. It’s very neat to walkthrough the center of where the action happens. Make sure you bring good walking shoes—there are lots of steps to get to the seating. Getting there early can also ensure you get first dibs on seating, but there are also a lot of cool pre-show things going on that you won’t want to miss either.

Go see it. Bring your friends. Bring your youth group. Bring your family. Bring your Bible study group. If you bring friends you can talk about it in the car ride home and see if maybe you both noticed different things. Just go watch it guys lol
Written July 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kyle M
Buna, TX52 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
There is so much to be said about this place that holds a special place in my heart. I came as a young child and was fortunate to get to bring my children now 25 years later!

The play: The play did not disappoint. It was much like I remembered it to be. My kids loved it. They were captivated the entire time. My 9yo daughter’s first words were “That was the best live movie ever!” My 11 yo son insisted that “this was the best part of the trip” and “he would make the drive just to see this again”. (That is a large compliment as he isn’t fond of drives and ours is a 9.5 hour drive there!)
The play held true to the scripture (only adding a few changes to show more of the story in a smaller window of time) and was a wonderful way to try and imagine what it might have looked like to be present.

Other than the play we enjoyed the Holy land tour. The staff was very knowledgeable in the history of their biblical characters and they opened a view of what life may have looked like during the time.

We also visited the museum which has a vast collection of information and historical items or replicas to add to the whole picture.

We also visited the “Christ of the Ozarks” stature which we found out from a volunteer is the 4th most visited statue in the US.

Nearby the statue is a small garden with a large cedar cross that is sure to bring the whole experience to an emotional connection. Stand directly in front of the cross, looking up at it and speak. The sound of your voice echos back in a surreal way. This would be a great place to come to cry out and leave your burdens at the foot of the cross.

The best part of the place though is the multitude of people that volunteer there. Everyone really showed their love of Christ, and their great passion for carrying out His service in this area of ministry. It was an exemplary experience to be surrounded by them and feel their love as they dutifully fulfilled their different roles and responsibilities.

Whether you are a fellow believer or a nonbeliever, I would suggest this as a wonderful place to spend a peaceful day in the Ozarks.
Written July 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JeffsWife2013
Marquez, TX63 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
My mom and I had SUCH a wonderful day. There is SO MUCH to do so you really need to plan your day ahead of time to get it all in. We were there from open to close. It took every spare minute, but we got to see everything we wanted. The food at the buffet was plentiful and wonderful. The staff is helpful and nice. The Tabernacle Teaching was SO interesting and I HIGHLY recommend that if you want to learn. I really learned a lot from Moses & from the various stops on the Holy Land Tour. I love this place!! The play itself is really good with cool special effects. I would totally recommend this experience to spend your day with a faith based group of people and to deepen your faith.
Written November 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

egret
Oceanside, CA52 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
We’ve attended the Passion Play in Germany, and this performance was much better! Almost completely quoting Scripture, it flowed beautifully, and presented the Passion Week of Christ in a dramatic way. Beautiful scenery, props, and stage, with the children and animals running through, making it very personable. Dramatic effects and very easy to hear and understand (in English). We’re from California, and it’s worth the trip! We highly recommend this. Just be sure to bring a blanket and warm jackets!
Written November 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John Justice
Madison, MS14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
The last days of Jesus come alive during this performance in a way that enlivens my faith. I encourage those who are already of the faith as well as those who have yet to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior to come and personally witness the passion of Jesus for the lost. I felt as if I were there during the last days of Jesus. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to give your life for me and for the whole world!
Written November 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sandy J
Tennessee5 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Couples
Great story and huge set, but the acting was high school drama club quality. Because the actors are so far away from the audience, they have to over-act to see who is speaking. Worth seeing once, but no return visit.
Written July 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sheryl P
Aubrey, TX400 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
We spent an entire day and a half on the Passion Play grounds.

On the day before the play...
The Bible Museum is small in area, but crammed with incredible Bible examples in many languages.
Christ of the Ozarks statue is interesting and I thought our interest would stop after seeing it. But we ended up spending some extra time at the viewpoint down the hill to meditate and pray, while we could have the area to ourselves. Very nice.

On play day...
The Tabernacle Teaching session was informative and interesting.
The Holy Land Tour was done well enough and kept not only our interest, but the interest of several children on our tour. Some actors need more experience, but I think that will come.
The art museum is lovely. We didn't get to the Bible history museum
The buffet was good with plentiful food and numerous choices.

And finally, the play was wonderful. Yes, some of the actors need coaching on how to gesture with arms so that they draw the audience's attention without churning like windmill arms. But that probably will come with experience. Otherwise, the script was very well-written and the set was incredibly beautiful and inventive. The whole experience was very meaningful to us.

Thank you!
Written August 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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