The Holy Week of Valladolid was the first to hold the title of International Tourist Interest Festival, a distinction that recognizes, among other virtues, the artistic quality and historical value of its sculptures, some of which were created by the greatest image makers of the 15th and 16th centuries, such as Gregorio Fernández or Juan de Juni, and by the most remembered wood sculptors of the 18th century, such as Pedro de Ávila. Safeguarded during the rest of the year in museums, churches, and convents, this is a unique occasion to enjoy these sculptures as they were conceived. The Passion Week transforms the streets and squares of Valladolid into a museum of sacred art, enveloped by the atmosphere of sobriety and silence that characterizes this festival.

The tradition of the processional parades in Valladolid, restored by Archbishop Gandásegui starting in 1920, dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, the era in which the historical penitential brotherhoods of the Holy True Cross, the Secular Franciscan Order, the Sacred Passion of Christ, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Pity, and Our Father Jesus Nazarene were founded. All of them are still active.

Currently, there are thousands of members in the twenty penitential, welfare, or guild brotherhoods of Valladolid. Some of the most prominent events of the Holy Week in Valladolid are the General Procession of the Sacred Passion of the Redeemer, the procession of the Encounter of the Blessed Virgin with her Son, and the one in Plaza Mayor, which recalls the autos-da-fé of the 16th century.