During the conference, there is music, prayer, workshops, liturgy, and opportunities to participate in the Sacrament of Penance, otherwise known as Reconciliation or Confession.
An area, known as the "thematic park", is set up with interactive educational and recreational activities, as well as traditional exhibits and vendor booths.
At the 2009 conference, the general session was duplicated via live video stream to the Grand Ballroom of the Kansas City Convention Center for overflow purposes.
At the 2019 NCYC, also held at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pope Francis addressed the conference with a prerecorded video message.
The popular Christian band for KING & COUNTRY also put on a performance as well at the beginning of the conference[1][2] NCYC began in 1983 as a regional conference, with one session for the east coast and one session for the west coast.