A procession to nagashiba is headed by hosts of the funerals holding lanterns with their family crests and town caretakers holding their town lanterns, followed by young people holding long marker poles with an elaborate lantern on the top end called a 'shirushi toro,' gongs, and at the end, the shorobune (most shorobune have wheels) hauled by several adults clad in white happi coats (workman's livery coats).
流し場までの列は家紋入りの提灯を持った喪主や、町の提灯を持った責任者を先頭に、長い竿の先に趣向を凝らした灯篭をつけた「印灯篭」と呼ばれる目印を持った若者、鉦、その後に、そろいの白の法被で決めた大人が数人がかりで担ぐ精霊船が続く（「担ぐ」といっても船の下に車輪をつけたものが多く、実際には「曳く」ことが多い）。