The event starts on the first Friday of August every year, with the main festival held on the Saturday. Groups and individuals who apply and are registered in advance can take part in this festival. Groups perform their dance on the stage or along a specified parade course and compete to a set of criteria, including technique and teamwork. The individual dances take place on the first night of the festival, as dancers perform their own dance and compete on the main stage in three character categories, Hyottoko (male character), Okame (female character) and kitsune (fox).

Hyuga Hyottoko Summer Festival is one of the three major Hyuga festivals, held on the first Saturday in August every year.
More than 2,000 dancers and 70,000 spectators gather from all over Japan to participate.
The festival is based on the Nagata no Hyottoko Odori dance, which is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Hyuga City.