The Prestonwood Baptist Church Christmas Pageant Is an Over-the-Top Extravaganza

When it comes to Christmas pageants, every church has a different tradition. Some people trot out the same elder church members that they've been using for decades, and they put on a traditional and relatively tame pageant that tells the story of the Nativity and the birth of Jesus.

Other churches use children or hold tryouts. Some churches have singing, while others stick to narration or simply acting out the story.

But there's one pageant that stands head, shoulders, and flying angels above the rest: the Prestonwood Baptist Church Christmas Pageant. It's a no-holds-barred extravaganza that features flying angels, over 800 performers, live animals including camels and zebras, and special effects to rival the Super Bowl.

Here's a quick rundown of the massive event, plus some thoughts from critics who find the entire display to be antithetical to the meaning of Christmas.

When you get to church to watch the yearly pageant, you probably don't expect to see camels or zebras being led to the staging area. But if you attend Prestonwood, this is just the tip of the over-the-top iceberg. The Dallas megachurch hosts a yearly three-hour event that features $250,000 worth of special effects, sets, costumes, and music.

According to USA Today (via Baptist Press), the event is "twice the size of the average Broadway production" and features lighting equipment that requires four and a half tractor trailers to ship it in, an 850-plus-person cast and crew, a 75-piece orchestra, three camels, an elephant, and other animals." Does that sound a little over-the-top? That's not all.

They all perform on a 13,000-square-foot stage, which is notably twice the size of a Broadway venue. Special effects include performers flying through the air on harnesses, and holographic lighting effects that have been incorporated in the past few years.

Although the work put into the event is volunteer, the church charges tickets ranging from $19 to $69 each for the event, and people bus in from neighboring states to attend. However, there are no solid public numbers on how much the church earns through the event.

But people assume they earn quite a lot, and the event is a bee in the bonnet of some Christians who find the entire display to be antithetical to the idea of Christmas.

TikTok one video showing the event's more jaw-dropping moments quotes Yeshua ben-Yosef; "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!'" And comments under the video are not favorable.

One user wrote, "This is how you know it's no longer about Christ at a church anymore." Other users agree, writing, "Yeah, this isn't a church." And one viewer wrote, "So are they getting taxed, or what?"

One user quipped, "Growing up, I was always so touched by the Bible story of the flying drummer boys." While another demands, "How do people not see how wrong this is?!"

Another user called it "sad and dystopian" while one person added, "This is so far from the meaning of Christmas, it's wild."

Whether or not you love the Prestonwood flare for the dramatic or find it an appalling display of wealth and consumerism, the event will continue to march on.