On the day of Opet, priests would bathe and dress the image of Amun, and the people of Thebes accompanied Pharaoh and the enshrined image of Amun in a procession that began in the Temple of Karnak and ended at the Luxor temple, approximately 1 1/2 miles away in southern Waset (Thebes). Soldiers beat drums while men from Nubia danced to songs of devotion. In the time of Hatshepsut, the procession was made entirely on foot, with the priests stopping at way stations for rest. In later times, the bark was carried to the Nile and placed on a larger vessel, which was towed upriver by oarsmen in tugboats and groups of men that pulled ropes on the riverbank. This wasn't a task for common workers: High government officials competed for the honor. While at Luxor, the shrine of Amun would be taken to the darkest, incense-filled inner sanctuary of the temple where priests communicated with a different representation of the god, but this image was of Amun-Min. This representation ensured abundant harvests. While there, the Pharaoh would partake in mysterious rituals that confirmed his powers and divinity. After this, the priests would carry Amun back to Karnak in his bark. This allowed the Thebans to ask him questions that could be answered with "yes", or "no", as Amun was very often associated with oracles. An example might be if a man saked if his brother in the Army is in good health. If the bark dipped toward the questioner, then Amun's answer would be yes. If the bark backed away, the answer was no. The citizens even enjoyed the charity of the gods. On one occassion in the 12th Century B.C., temple officials passed out 11,341 loaves of bread, and 385 jars of beer!

We know a lot about the Opet Festival because of inscriptions in the Colonnade of the Temple of Luxor from the reign of Tutankhamun. It shows priests garbed in white robes carrying statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu through the streets of Waset, and on to the Temple of Luxor. The statues would remain in Luxor for approximately 24 days while the city remained in festivity.