A Christmas Pageant like no other... 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2023, 7 P.M., in person in the cathedral nave and livestreamed

In 2015, the leadership of Saint Mark's Cathedral formulated a vision of a new kind of Christmas Pageant, bringing together the choirs and children of the community with costumes of cathedral finery, visual art displayed within cathedral architecture, and special instrumental accompaniment to reflect upon the Nativity of Christ as told in Holy Scripture.

Saint Mark's Pageant of the Nativity is not a re-enactment of a single event in history, but rather a reflection and meditation on a sacred story which has spoken to people around the world and across the ages. The hymns and carols sung by the assembly, and the anthems offered by the choirs, have ranged from medieval chant to 21st-century world premieres. The visual images of the pageant reference art spanning the centuries, from Byzantine icons through Renaissance masters to the Victorian age and beyond. So while the stable in Bethlehem certainly did not contain fine velvet and brocade, we clothe our pageant in the most beautiful finery the cathedral has to offer, in order that we might offer of our best to the Christ Child today. It is the hope that, each year, the readings from Holy Scripture, imagery, and music bring new insight into the coming of the Prince of Peace, the incarnation of God among us.


Information for volunteers and parents of children in the pageant may be found at: saintmarks.org/pageant-info

On Sunday, December 10, Choir School Director Rebekah Gilmore and Pageant co-producer Dr. James Savage offered a Sunday Forum on the History, Inspiration, and Imagery of Saint Mark's Pageant of the Nativity. A complete video is available below:

2022 Pageant of the Nativity (on Epiphany 2023)


Nativity Pageant Video Archive

2023 Pageant of the Nativity

2022 Pageant of the Nativity (on Epiphany 2023)

2022 Pageant of the Nativity leaflet (presented January 6, 2023)

2021 Pageant of the Nativity

2020 Pageant REPRISE

2020 Pageant of the Nativity REPRISE leaflet

In lieu of a new Pageant of the Nativity in 2020, we premiered a "best-of" video online, highlighting scripture readings, anthems, and hymns from Pageants of the past, with a special new introduction by Dean Thomason. Selections were drawn from cathedral pageants of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

2019 Pageant of the Nativity

2019 Pageant Trailer

2018 Pageant of the Nativity

2018 Pageant Trailer

2017 Pageant of the Nativity

2017 Pageant Trailer

2016 Pageant of the Nativity

2015 Pageant of the Nativity