Jesus the Christ: The Mesa Easter Pageant

Since 1938, the Mesa Arizona Temple grounds have transformed each spring into a massive outdoor stage for "Jesus the Christ," commonly known as the Mesa Easter Pageant. Recognized as the largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the world, this 70-minute musical production depicts the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It draws over 100,000 visitors annually during the two weeks preceding Easter, serving as a major cultural and spiritual event for the entire Phoenix metro area.

The pageant began as a simple sunrise service in 1938, organized by local youth leaders. It initially featured a small chorus and a few narrated scenes on a wooden wagon bed. Over the decades, it grew in scale and sophistication, evolving into a professional-grade production with a cast of hundreds, live animals, and elaborate staging. The current script and score were commissioned in the 1970s and have been refined to focus purely on the biblical account of the Savior.

The production is staged on the north lawn of the temple, using a massive multi-level stage that integrates with the temple's visitors' center. The cast consists entirely of volunteers — often numbering over 400 — who rehearse for weeks. Behind the scenes, hundreds more manage costumes, lighting, and stagecraft. The pageant is free to the public, with attendees bringing blankets and chairs to sit on the grass, creating a communal, reverent atmosphere under the desert stars.

For residents of the East Valley, the pageant is a multigenerational tradition. Families often participate together in the cast, and attending the performance is a rite of spring for diverse faith communities. The pageant was paused during the temple's 2018–2021 renovation and the COVID-19 pandemic but returned in 2022 to record crowds, reaffirming its place as a beloved pillar of the community's religious life.