The annual event in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary has taken place the first weekend in August since 1978 on the 28-acre (110,000 m2) campus of the Congregation of the Mother of the Redeemer (CRM) in Carthage, Missouri.

Tens of thousands of attendees come from throughout the United States, while non-Vietnamese locals and some visitors from Canada, Vietnam, and Australia also attend.

Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, then Bishop of Springfield–Cape Girardeau, sponsored the priests and brothers, inviting them to rent a vacant Oblates of Mary Immaculate seminary, Our Lady of the Ozarks College, for a nominal price of $1, to use as their U.S.

On Wednesday, before the event begins, the brothers and priests of the congregation hold a Mass and procession in honor of Saint Joseph, who is the patron of the Marian Days.

Each night, performers from Thúy Nga[27] and other groups entertain the large crowds with both folk and popular Vietnamese music.

The following day concludes with a Pontifical Mass in honor of the Vietnamese Martyr Saints, usually reserved to be presided by one of the guest bishops.

[29] On Saturday, the highlight of the event begins with the Solemn Procession of the statue of Our Lady of Fátima and the Pontifical Mass in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[16] At the end of the procession in honor of Our Lady of Fátima, two long firecrackers are lit, followed by the release of numerous balloons of all colors tied to two flags, one of blue and white, the Virgin Mary's colors, and the other of the South Vietnamese flag before that half of the country fell to communism.

This tradition can be interpreted as symbolically offering the country of Vietnam to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the intercession of all gathered that day.