The Mormon Pioneer Heritage Festival is a collaboration between UPHA, Snow College, the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, Utah’s First Nations, and Map-N-Tour/Story Road Utah.

It begins with 1800s-era demonstrators showing visitors how Utah’s pioneers and indigenous peoples dealt with life in this desert territory. Pioneer era art is on display by Utah artists. Pioneer and Native American games are available for families to play, taking them back to the simpler times when resources were limited. This first part of the festival shifts audience perspective to the early days of Utah back before it was even a territory.

Each of these shows features the talents of several of Snow College’s performing arts students, some of UPHA’s seasoned professionals, plus a Native-American singer/musician/storyteller. They also feature vintage photographs and other visual art commissioned by local artists that are shown on a high-resolution video screen. These are full productions with professional lighting, sound, and special effects. These shows are presented LIVE and recorded for VIRTUAL consumption so that they can be enjoyed at home year-round.

We are particularly proud of our collection of themed stories as we gather and curate Utah’s heritage. One of our audience favorites is the life of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. And the Butch Cassidy Boyhood Home on Historic Highway 89 is a world-famous story landmark that draws visitors from everywhere. One of our songs, “Robber’s Roost” is a particular favorite of our audiences (both live and virtual).

The third element of the festival and part of the shows is the invitation to audience members to look into their own family stories — to climb out onto the branches of their family tree (so to speak) and gather the gems from aunts, uncles, grandpas and grandmas. And maybe, with a little detective work, you’ll find stories that go back even further. These stories become your Family Narrative — the stories that get passed down to future generations. Your Family Narrative is what establishes a stronger sense of belonging to help build resilience in today’s challenging world.

The fourth element on each show is the invitation to download Story Road Utah. Story Road Utah is a travel app that presents our collection of Utah’s stories on your mobile device while you’re driving through this gorgeous and diverse state. It shows you where you are in relation to the stories that are all around you — stories that are tied to destinations you can visit — stories that are presented in audio and video formats. It’s entertainment that’s perfect for a Road Trip. Story Road Utah gives you a way to discover the Utah you never knew existed! You can download it from your Apple App Store or your Google Play Store.

Click to see available dates and locations to COME SEE a Mormon Pioneer Heritage Festival near you, or to download show content for your very own Festival at Home.