Room Layout

#1 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event (up from #2)
The country’s largest seafood showcase notched its largest outing yet, attracting 19,000 buyers and sellers in 2012. Next: March 10-12, 2013

#2 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
Reconfigured in 2012, the Boston Wine Expo added a series of more intimate vintner dinners and drew a smaller crowd, 6,000 consumers and 2,000 industry members. Next: February 16-17, 2013

#4 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
A three-day ice cream fest that raises funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl marked its 30th anniversary in 2012. Next: June 2013

#5 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event (new to the list)
The culinary convention brought out 30,000 people for its second edition in 2011 and is set to move to a larger venue, Rose Kennedy Greenway, this year. Next: October 7, 2012

#6 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
The fund-raiser brings together 70 local restaurants and 30 wineries to fight childhood hunger. Next: April 2013

#7 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
Last year's 14th outing featured Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino among the celebrity chefs. Next: September 27, 2012

#8 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
This year's fund-raiser, the 17th iteration of the event, showcased local chefs like Joanne Chang and Gordon Hamersley. Next: March 2013

#9 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
The massive summertime barbecue brings together 40 Boston chefs at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center. Next: June 2013

#10 Food, Wine & Restaurant Industry Event
Now the East Coast’s largest celebration of American beer, American Craft Beer Festival featured 100 breweries at its fifth outing this year. Next: June 2013

#2 Political & Advocacy Event
The gathering honors public figures for taking courageous stands, in a ceremony hosted by Caroline Kennedy. Next: May 2013

#3 Political & Advocacy Event
With politicos like Elizabeth Warren and Governor Deval Patrick performing in skits, Banned in Boston raised $600,000 for local schools this year. Next: spring 2013

#4 Political & Advocacy Event
Last year the dinner hosted by Unicef honored singer Sting and activist wife Trudie Styler, and raised $1.2 million. Next: October 2012

#5 Political & Advocacy Event (up from #6)
The conference draws more than 1,500 political, business, and philanthropic leaders to the Harvard campus. Next: February 2013

#6 Political & Advocacy Event
Honoring women who have made a difference in the state, the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus Tribute to Abigail Adams is a ceremony held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel. Next: October 10, 2013

#8 Political & Advocacy Event
The dinner hosted by the Human Rights Campaign is slated to move to new location Boston Marriott Copley Place for its 31st outing this September. Next: September 22, 2012

#1 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
Drawing two million visitors for six days of events each summer, the Boston Harborfest includes the popular Chowderfest and Parade of Ships. Next: June 27-July 4, 2013

#2 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
Hosting several hundred thousand people along the Charles River for a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is Boston's annual Independence Day celebration. Next: July 4, 2013

#4 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
Showcasing the work of 1,000 artists and featuring 200 live performances across the city, Boston First Night Festival takes place each New Year’s Eve. Next: December 31, 2012

#6 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
The largest of its kind on the East Coast, the Revere Beach Sandsculpting Festival brings 500,000 sand castle enthusiasts to Revere Beach each summer. Next: July 12-15, 2012

#7 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
Typically attracting 200,000 people, the Cambridge River Festival was cancelled this year due to poor weather for the first time in its 33-year history. Next: June 1, 2013

#8 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
The event is expected to bring out 150,000 revelers for its 20th annual celebration of Caribbean culture. Next: September 9, 2012

#10 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event (new to the list)
The event is expected to draw 100,000 attendees for its fifth annual multicultural environmental festival. Next: August 16-19, 2012

#11 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
This year, the 44th annual Walk for Hunger raised $3.6 million from some 43,000 walkers. Next: May 5, 2013

#2 Art Event
Each spring, the museum's Art in Bloom displays 70 extravagant floral arrangements, along with three days of artsy classes and events. Next: April, 2013

#3 Art Event
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s annual fund-raiser, the MassArt Auction, took in $730,000 from 800 guests in 2012. Next: April 13, 2013

#4 Art Event
For making a lasting impact on the art world, photographer Lalla Essaydi was honored by the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at its medal gala dinner in 2012. Next: May 2013

#5 Art Event
At its 16th edition this fall, the Boston International Fine Arts Show will showcase works from 40 contemporary and traditional galleries. Next: November 15-18, 2012

#6 Art Event
This year's Greatest Party on Earth marked Artists for Humanity’s 20th anniversary, raising $250,000 from 500 guests. Next: April 2013

#1 Music Event
The 2011 Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival was smaller than recent years, but is still Boston’s biggest music fest, drawing 45,000 music-lovers to Columbus Avenue. Next: September 29, 2012.

#3 Music Event (new to the list)
Last year, the Life is Good Festival brought 20,000 people to Canton’s Prowse Farm and raised more than $1 million for charity. Next: September 22-23, 2012.

#4 Music Event
A 12-year-old benefit concert for the Foundation to Be Named Later—a branch of the Red Sox Foundation—the Hot Stove Cool Music featured a performance from Susan Tedeschi at Paradise Rock Club this year. Next: January 2013

#1 Theatre & Film Event
At recent editions of the five-day event, which includes red-carpet film premieres, the Boston Film Festival has featured stars like George Clooney and Val Kilmer. Next: September 20-24, 2012

#2 Theatre & Film Event
Harvard University’s two-day theatrical extravaganza, known as the Hasty Pudding Awards, feted Claire Danes and Jason Segel as Woman and Man of the Year in 2012. Next: February 2013

#3 Theatre & Film Event
Each summer, Shakespeare on the Common brings more than 100,000 theatre lovers to Boston Common for two weeks of free performances. Next: July 25-August 12, 2012

#6 Theatre & Film Event
A “Cinema Italiano” theme marked the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's gala, the theatre company’s fourth annual fund-raiser, held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel this year. Next: May 201

#7 Theatre & Film Event
This year's Ellie Fund Oscar Night sold out in record time, raising $200,000 for breast cancer research from 200 attendees. Next: February 24, 2013

#1 Literary & Publishing Event
A one-day outdoor street fair dedicated to the written word, the Boston Book Festival attracted 25,000 attendees in 2011, its third year. Next: October 27, 2012

#2 Literary & Publishing Event
Marking Boston magazine’s marquee issue, the 1,000-person party fetes local establishments named to the “best” list. Next: summer 2012

#3 Literary & Publishing Event
One of the largest rare book festivals in the country, the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair brings 120 dealers to the Hynes Convention Center. Next: November 16-18, 2012

#4 Literary & Publishing Event (up from #5)
This year the 24th annual black-tie event hosted by the Associates of the Boston Public Library raised $250,000, honoring authors including Mary Higgins Clark. Next: April 14, 2013

#5 Literary & Publishing Event
One of the most prestigious prizes for children’s literature, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards are announced in June, then handed out in a ceremony at Simmons College in the fall. Next: September 28, 2012

#1 Fashion & Beauty Event
For the first time, in 2011 Boston Fashion Week centralized shows at a single location, a 250-person tent spanning the courtyard between the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the Prudential Center. Next: September 27-October 6, 2012

#2 Fashion & Beauty Event
The 15th edition of the Harris Center Public Forum, a conference on body image in the media, included 600 guests and a keynote speech by Arianna Huffington. Next: June 2013

#4 Fashion & Beauty Event
A charity fund-raiser for the Red Sox Foundation, From Fenway to the Runway features baseball wives and girlfriends, including Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz's spouse Lindsay (pictured), modeling outfits. Next: September 7, 2012

#1 Benefit
One of the biggest gatherings of corporate and philanthropic leaders in Boston, Boston Symphony Orchestra Presidents at Pops saw Steve Martin on banjo and honored composer John Williams in 2012. Next: Spring 2013

#2 Benefit
The black-tie ball more than doubled its fund-raising haul in 2012, soliciting $2.2 million from 600 guests in a setting inspired by French surrealist films. Next: April 20, 2013

#3 Benefit
Last year, The Dark Knight inspired the look of the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Storybook Ball, which raised $1.1 million from more than 500 guests. Next: October 20 , 2012

#4 Benefit
Held at a different philanthropist’s home each year, the Boys and Girls Club House Party took place at the residence of Red Sox owner John Henry in 2012. Next: May 17, 2013

#5 Benefit (up from #6)
After moving from the Boston Convention Center to the more intimate House of Blues in 2012, Big Brothers Big Sisters Big Night raised $1.7 million from 900 guests. Next: winter 2013

#6 Benefit
Serving as the kickoff to the summer gala season, the Institute of Contemporary Art's annual gala and Party on the Harbor added a new V.I.P. pre-party before the 700-person event this year. Next: May 10, 2013

#7 Benefit
Supporting Catholic School education, the Catholic Schools Foundation's Inner-City Scholarship Fund dinner hauled in $2.7 million at its 22nd outing in 2012. Next: spring 2013

#8 Benefit
A DJ event for Boston’s younger socialite set, the Museum of Fine Art's the Summer Party marked its ninth anniversary with a “solid gold” theme in 2012. Next: June 8, 2013

#9 Benefit (up from #10)
A gala holiday concert, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's "A Company Christmas at Pops" welcomed 2,000 guests to Symphony Hall in 2011. Next: December 12, 2012

#11 Benefit
In 2012, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Boston Hot Pink Party moved to new venue, the Intercontinental Boston, with 400 guests including Senator John Kerry and Teresa Heinz. Next: May 8, 2013

#13 Benefit
Raising $1 million for its child and family service programs, Home for Little Wanderers' Voices & Visions Gala brought a record 1,100 guests to the Seaport World Trade Center. Next: May 29, 2013

#14 Benefit
Bringing out 700 Bostonians in their most elaborate headwear, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Party in the Park raised $560,000 for the conservancy’s Justine Mee Liff Fund. Next: May 15, 2013

#15 Benefit
The fund-raiser grew by 30 percent to 300 guests this year, and will return for a third outing next year. Next: February 11, 2013.

#16 Benefit
This year the New England Conservatory Feast of Music, a gala concert and dinner, paid homage to Vienna and raised $500,000 for the conservatory’s scholarship program. Next: February 23, 2013

#17 Benefit
Attracting a roster of the city’s business elite, the Boston Medical Center Gala's dinner at the Seaport World Trade Center hauled in $2.2 million in 2012. Next: spring 2013

#18 Benefit
Raising $450,000, last year's Room to Grow Fall Gala brought 400 guests to the Boston Public Library, including founder Julie Burns and husband documentarian Ken Burns. Next: fall 2012

#19 Benefit
Marking World Diabetes Day and funding research and care programs at the center, Joslin Diabetes Center's High Hopes Gala raised $1.7 million last year. Next: November 17, 2012

#20 Benefit
After collecting $1.5 million in 2011, the Berklee College of Music Encore gala will mark its 18th year of raising funds to benefit music programs for Boston schoolchildren in fall. Next: October 13, 2012

#21 Benefit (new to the list)
One of the biggest gatherings of healthcare and biotech industry executives and supporters, the Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Health Care dinner raised $1.1 million from a crowd of 2,000 guests last year. Next: November 8, 2012

#22 Benefit
The event raised $1.1 million this year, enough to help the organization distribute nearly three million meals to needy Bostonians. Next: April 25, 2013

#23 Benefit
With a party at the House of Blues hosted by Mayor Tom Menino and featuring fare from 20 Boston restaurants, the Friends of Boston's Homeless' Beyond Shelter gala marked its 25th anniversary this spring. Next: April 25, 2013

#24 Benefit
Taking in $130,000 from a crowd of 1,000 young professionals, the Boston Winter Ball increased fund-raising in its fourth outing, an event that benefited Children’s Hospital Boston. Next: winter 2013

#25 Benefit
The must-attend event of the year for Boston’s African-American socialite set, the Steppin' Out Gala for the Dimock Center will feature Gladys Knight this fall. Next: October 20, 2012

#26 Benefit
With a witch theme inspired by the opera’s production of Macbeth, the Boston Lyric Opera Gala raised $500,000 last year. Next: October 13, 2012

#1 Trade Show & Convention
The region’s largest car expo, the New England International Auto Show will give guests the chance to test drive Jeeps on an off-road course set up in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Next: January 17-21, 2013

#2 Trade Show & Convention
The horticultural expo attracted 67,000 attendees to the Seaport World Trade Center in its fourth edition this year. Next: March 13-17, 2013

#3 Trade Show & Convention (up from #4)
The largest gaming gathering on the East Coast, Penny Arcade Expo East recently reached an agreement to keep the show in Boston through 2023. Next: April, 2013

#4 Trade Show & Convention
At its 30th annual edition last year, the Boston Globe Ski and Snowboard Expo showed off the latest in ski vacations and gear to a crowd of 45,000. Next: November 8-11, 2012

#5 Trade Show & Convention
This year, the New England Boat Show grew by 40 percent, spreading across 360,000 square feet of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and notching 41,000 attendees. Next: February 16-24, 2013

#6 Trade Show & Convention (up from #7)
In 2012, the Boston Globe Travel Show saw attendance increase by 18 percent, to more than 21,000 consumers and 2,000 travel industry trade members. Next: February 8-10, 2013

#8 Trade Show & Convention
One of Boston’s largest industry expos, Yankee Dental Congress brings 27,000 dental professionals to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Next: January 30-February 3, 2013

#10 Trade Show & Convention
The convention brings 200 exhibitors to its spring show, with another 90 turning out for the holiday edition at the Cyclorama building. Next: December 7-9, 2012; April 19-21, 2013

#1 Sports Event
This year's race saw a large number of runners sit out due to unseasonably hot weather, but the Boston Marathon is scheduled to return for a 117th edition in 2013. Next: April 15, 2013

#2 Sports Event
Featuring 9,000 rowers competing in 55 different races, the Head of the Charles Regatta attracts some 300,000 spectators to the Charles River. Next: October 20-21, 2012

#3 Sports Event
The state’s most successful athletic fund-raiser, the Pan-Mass Bike Challenge set a goal of $36 million for this year’s race. Next: August 4-5, 2012

#4 Sports Event
With participation from celebrities like Tom Brady, the Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port goes from Boston to Cape Cod. Next: June 1, 2013

#6 Sports Event
Bringing the world’s top golfers to Norton, Massachusetts, the Deutsche Bank Championships will have U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson looking to defend his title at this year’s event. Next: August 29-September 3, 2012

#7 Sports Event
An annual Red Sox Foundation fund-raiser, Picnic in the Park lets fans camp out on the Fenway Park grass after a summer home game. Next: August 5, 2012

#9 Sports Event
Red Sox star Josh Beckett’s celebrity-studded bowling fund-raiser, the Beckett Bowl is set to return to Lucky Strike Lanes this summer. Next: August 20, 2012