It is both an administrative meeting, and at the same time it is an uplifting spiritual event, and thus it has a central purpose to the Baháʼí community life.
Baháʼís are encouraged to consult on all important matters, and the Nineteen Day Feast provides an opportunity to do so.
This portion is also the primary outlet of communication between the community and its Local Spiritual Assembly, and recommendations to that body are often consulted upon in the Nineteen Day Feast.
more recent guidance from the Universal House of Justice has since allowed for the administrative portion of a feast to take place should a non-Baháʼí attend.
It is the responsibility of Local Spiritual Assemblies to ensure that the Nineteen Day Feast is held.
Attendance at the Nineteen Day Feast is not obligatory, but is considered a duty and a privilege for Baháʼís since it is where they can enter into consultation with the rest of the community.