Spring is just around the corner and with it Good Friday, Easter, and the start of the Eureka Springs Passion Play 2022 season.
The Great Passion Play first opened in Eureka Springs in 1968. The Christian theme park was the brainchild of Gerald L. K. Smith, a conservative politician who retired to Eureka Springs in the 1960’s.
Smith’s first big project in the area was the seven story Christ of the Ozarks. The monument was built on top of Magnetic Mountain and remains one of the area’s most popular attractions. It was during the statue’s construction that Smith had the idea for Eureka Springs Passion Play. An idea that continues to draw thousands of visitors to Eureka Springs every year.
The Great Passion Play is a live action presentation of the Christ’s last week of mortal life. The hour-and-forty-five minute play is presented on a multi-level set before a 4,000 seat outdoor amphitheater with special effects, live animals, and a cast of 170 actors.
The play is performed several times a week each month, May to October, with special performances around Easter and Christmas. But that’s not all you’ll find at the Great Passion Play – not by a long shot.
Eureka Springs Passion Play Attractions
Eureka Springs Great Passion Play is not just a performance but a theme park, with lots of related things to see and do.
One of the most popular attractions is the Holy Land Tour, where you step back in time to experience the people and places of the Bible first-hand. See sights like the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and meet and speak with biblical characters.
The Passion Play is also home to a Bible Museum, with more than 6,000 Bibles in 625 languages. The Sacred Arts Center includes over 1,000 works of art, some of which date back to the ninth century! The park is also home to a section of the Berlin Wall, an authentic biblical marketplace, a restaurant, and more.
One of the most popular attractions is the Christ of the Ozarks monument, which can be reached by one of the many nature trails that criss-cross the property.
Best of all, The Great Passion Play is less than 10 minutes drive from our Eureka Springs bed and breakfast, 5 Ojo! Spend the day exploring all the Great Passion Play has to offer, then it’s back to the supreme comforts of your room at 5 Ojo in no time at all. Now that’s convenience!
Great Passion Play 2022
The 2022 Passion Play season kicks off with 7:30pm shows for Good Friday and Holy Saturday (April 15th and 16th). A special Easter Service at the foot of the Christ of the Ozarks follows on April 17th at 7am.
The regular, 2022 season begins the weekend of May 27th, with three shows most weeks to October 29th.
The Passion Play park and many of its attractions are open 9am to 5pm year-round, except Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. Christ of the Ozarks and the park’s trails are open 365 days a year, from sunrise to an hour after sunset.
Visit greatpassionplay.org for more details. You can also learn more on Facebook.