This festival starts with the meeting and formation of military troops before the mass in front of the Monastery of las Huelgas. The Abbess welcomes the civil and military authorities. After the mass there is a parade which is mainly formed by the ‘gigantones’ and dancers, clarinet players, the banners of the brotherhoods, representatives from the Huelgas neighbourhood, the banner of “las Navas de Tolosa” carried by the highest ranking military officer of the city; children preparing for their first communion, the Archbishop, carrying the sacrament under a canopy, and finally, the civil authorities escorted by the police. The procession of the troops in front of the authorities and dances of the ‘Gigantones’ and dancers put the crowning touch on the festival that will continue in the nearby Parque del Parral.

Once in the park, the locals take a leading role in the celebrations. The park is the setting for the group of locals and foreigners who come to try the culinary dishes made at the stalls. The street market around near the park and the public dances add colour and sound to the party that will finish well into the evening.