Other events for Ideas. . .

#1 Trade Show & Convention (up from #3)
In July, Comic-Con International completed its annual summer takeover of San Diego. The expo continues to grow, with an estimated 130,000 attendees crowding the San Diego Convention Center and brands hosting countless related events at surrounding venues like hotels, parks, and parking lots. Next: July 24-27, 2014

#2 Trade Show & Convention
With a revamp led by president Lisa Kaz and freshly minted general manager Teri Toennies, the Los Angeles Auto Show will be bigger this year with a third day of media festivities and a lively showcase known as Motor Press Guild Invitational to replace the stale morning keynotes. The century-old show will also have a new layout at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Next: November 22-December 1, 2013

#3 Trade Show & Convention (up from #4)
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, popularly known as E3, wrapped in June, having drawn 48,200 video game industry professionals, investor analysts, journalists, and retailers from 102 countries for the annual gaming-industry-only pilgrimage at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Owned by the Entertainment Software Association, the show is a huge boon to Los Angeles—accounting for about 28,000 hotel room nights and $40 million in revenue generated for the city. Next: June 10-12, 2014

#4 Trade Show & Convention (up from #5)
The D: All Things Digital Conference is about to undergo a total overhaul, the details of which are unannounced. Co-founder Walt Mossberg will end his two-decade run with The Wall Street Journal after failing to come to a deal to continue managing the gathering and its Web site. He and co-founder Kara Swisher, who both led the event and news outlet owned by Dow Jones & Company, have approached other media companies, including The New York Times, about a joint venture to create a similar conference under a new brand, according to Bloomberg. Next: Spring 2014

#5 Trade Show & Convention (up from #6)
The NAMM Show is considered the biggest and most important music products show in the world. It’s more than a century old and draws about 95,000 people from more than 100 countries to the Anaheim Convention Center. The 2013 show marked the opening of the 100,000-square-foot Grand Plaza, the latest outdoor expansion of the convention center’s meeting campus. And a new contract keeps the show in Anaheim through 2018. Next: January 23-26, 2014

#6 Trade Show & Convention (new to the list)
Natural Products Expo West is the top trade show for the natural, organic, and healthy food industry. The 33rd run of the annual event wrapped this year at the Anaheim Convention Center with record attendance and exhibitor numbers: 63,000 industry members and 2,428 exhibiting companies. The show was co-located with Engredea and Nutracon, the ingredient and supply chain show and conference. Next: March 6-9, 2014

#7 Trade Show & Convention
American Film Market attracts more than 8,000 industry leaders from more than 70 countries for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, networking, and parties in Santa Monica; about $800 million in deals is sealed during the program, produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance. Next: November 6-13, 2013

#8 Trade Show & Convention (up from 9)
Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show is now billing itself as the largest travel show in the United States, having set an attendance record this year with 29,000 attendees. There’s an 18,000-gallon scuba pool, an aerial zip line, cultural performers, a culinary stage, and more at the Long Beach Convention Center. Previously, show producer Unicomm co-produced The Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show, and the shows now compete. Next: February 8-9, 2014

#9 Trade Show & Convention
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and in the water at Marina del Rey, the Los Angeles Boat Show is among the longest-running boat shows in the country. Progressive Insurance is currently the title sponsor of the National Marine Manufacturers Association's expo, which is now in its 57th consecutive year. Next: February 6-9, 2014

#10 Trade Show & Convention
The California Gift Show takes over the L.A. Mart and Los Angeles Convention Center in the winter and summer—January and July—and it’s the biggest show of its kind on the West Coast with more than 200,000 square feet and 10,000 product lines. Urban Expositions just acquired the show from Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., and the management transition took place last year. On the product side, the last incarnation of the show was up more than 30 percent over previous years. Next: January 31-February 3, 2014

#11 Trade Show & Convention
The Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show brings together more than 22,000 speakers, travel professionals, industry leaders, media folks, and consumers at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show has a slightly earlier date booked for its next run, moving from late February to mid January. Next: January 17-19, 2014

#1 Entertainment Industry Event
It’s hard to imagine a time when the Academy Awards won’t command the top spot in the entertainment industry's list of most influential events. The entire town comes to life with the televised production, as well as related events, including bashes for Vanity Fair and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Next: March 2, 2014

#2 Entertainment Industry Event
Every year the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s opulent dinner ceremony, takes over the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will return as popular hosts this year, on a date selected to avoid conflict with the Winter Olympics. Next: January 12, 2014

#3 Entertainment Industry Event
The Grammy awards, which the Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences bills as “music’s biggest night,” takes over the Staples Center yearly, with the academy's executive in charge of production, Branden Chapman, on a team that oversees a huge after-party at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Next year will mark the 56th year of the event. Next: January 26, 2014

#4 Entertainment Industry Event
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honors television's best at the annual Primetime Emmy Awards. After the show, the crowd moves to the academy’s huge-scale production, the Governors Ball, billed as the largest formal dinner in the U.S. with about 3,800 guests. Next year, NBC will move the 2014 show from September to late August to avoid conflict with Sunday Night Football. Next: August 24, 2014

#5 Entertainment Industry Event
Early each award season, the Screen Actors Guild honors stars with its A-list affair at the Shrine Exposition Center. Next year is a milestone for the SAG awards, marking the 20th anniversary of the show. Behind the scenes, Jeff Margolis Productions, in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards L.L.C., produces the splashy gathering. Next: January 18, 2014

#6 Entertainment Industry Event
The down-to-earth ceremony of Film Independent’s Spirit Awards takes over an oceanfront tent in Santa Monica on the Saturday of Oscars weekend each year. The event will continue to be broadcast on IFC as part of a new two-year deal. Next: March 1, 2014

#7 Entertainment Industry Event
The BET Awards, which celebrate African-Americans in music, sports, and other entertainment realms, expanded significantly this year. The annual telecast was joined by a weekend-long event known as the BET Experience, a festival that drew thousands of fans downtown for music as well as panels, films, seminars, and more. It was billed as the largest consumer event in BET Networks’ history. Next: Summer 2014

#8 Entertainment Industry Event (up from #9)
The A.F.I. Life Achievement Award, one of Hollywood’s most prestigious honors, last went to Mel Brooks, with Martin Scorsese presenting. Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Gregory Peck, and Dustin Hoffman are among the A-list-only past honorees at the event, which dates back to 1973. Next: June 2014

#9 Entertainment Industry Event
The Environmental Media Awards honor individuals, organizations, movies, and TV programs that impact public awareness of environmental issues. The celeb-heavy show takes over the Warner Brothers lot, with a ceremony and eco-friendly after-party. Next: October 19, 2013

#10 Entertainment Industry Event
The American Music Awards take place at the Nokia Theatre with new, attention-getting tricks up its sleeve each year: In 2012, presenters read names of winners from new Samsung devices rather than opening envelopes. Next: November 24, 2013

#11 Entertainment Industry Event
A.F.I. Fest, presented by Audi, is the only festival of its prominence that offers free tickets to the public. Now in its 27th year, the Hollywood festival kicks off the award season annually and includes red-carpet events and galas in addition to screenings. Next: November 7-14, 2013

#12 Entertainment Industry Event (up from #16)
Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival will celebrate 20 years next summer. The annual event includes programs like the filmmaker retreat, several outdoor screenings, and intimate “coffee talks." Next: June 2014

#13 Entertainment Industry Event
The Elle Women in Hollywood Awards transform the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills into a chic, minimalist space and draws a celeb-packed house. It’s become an essential stop for A-list women in the business; Elle took over hosting duties for the event in 2007 after Premiere magazine folded. Next: October 21, 2013

#14 Entertainment Industry Event
The People’s Choice Awards will celebrate 40 years in 2014, and Mark Burnett will return as executive producer of the telecast. New categories are under consideration, as genres and media continue to evolve. Every year, potential nominees are determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses, music sales, social media activity, and online data. Next: January 8, 2014

#15 Entertainment Industry Event
Bafta Los Angeles Britannia Awards will honor Benedict Cumberbatch and Sacha Baron Cohen at the Beverly Hilton this year, and BBC America will air a broadcast of the event. The show annually draws big stars as presenters and honorees for its awards. Next: November 9, 2013

#16 Entertainment Industry Event (up from #17)
The Glaad Media Awards, now in its 24th year, take over the JW Marriott downtown with a cocktail reception and silent auction, a sit-down dinner and award show, and a V.I.P. after-party immediately following the show. The honors recognize media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of L.G.B.T. issues. Next: April 2014

#1 Art & Design Event
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’s imaginative benefit draws attention for its experiential events tied to exhibits and artists. The affair takes a no-holds-barred creative approach: the April 2013 event paid homage to marijuana. Next: April 2014

#2 Art & Design Event
Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s “Art + Film” gala is relatively new on the scene, having debuted in late 2011. But it’s already a major mainstay with a big celebrity tie-in. This year’s event will honor artist David Hockney and filmmaker Martin Scorsese with a performance by Sting. Leonardo DiCaprio co-chairs with Lacma trustee Eva Chow. Next: November 2, 2013

#3 Art & Design Event (up from #4)
The 18-year-old Los Angeles Art Show is billed as the longest-running venue for contemporary, modern, historic, and traditional art in the country. The 2012 show hosted more than 100 galleries and drew more than 50,000 visitors with its two-show concept that separated modern and contemporary works from historical and traditional works. Last year the Palm Beach Show Group acquired the Los Angeles Art Show: Modern & Contemporary and the Los Angeles Fine Art Show: Historic & Traditional. Next year, the organizers will build on the concept of two distinct shows under the banner of the Los Angeles Art Show and will offer programming like lectures, tours, exhibits, and after-parties, beginning with an opening-night benefit. Next: January 15-19, 2014

#4 Art & Design Event
The Hammer Museum’s Gala in the Garden moved back to October last year (after shifting to September in 2011) and will this year partner with luxury fashion brand Bottega Veneta. The event has sold out in each of the past 10 years and is an important date on the fall social calendar. Next: October 5, 2013

#5 Art & Design Event
One of the county’s most prominent social events, the Orange County Museum of Art’s Art of Dining benefit honored David Lynch at the Balboa Bay Resort in May. Next: Spring 2014

#6 Art & Design Event
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collectors Committee is a weekend-long program that takes place each spring and ends with a gala dinner at the museum. In a record-breaking night, the 28th annual event raised more than $3.2 million toward nine new acquistions. JPMorgan Chase sponsored. Next: April 25-26, 2014

#7 Art & Design Event
The Los Angeles Antiques, Art & Design Show moved from the spring to new fall dates last year, and this year it has a new location: 3Labs in Culver City. The event kicks off with an opening-night party benefiting Lacma’s Decorative Arts and Design Council. Next: October 9-13, 2013

#8 Art & Design Event
Westweek at the Pacific Design Center is the center’s largest annual design event—and it’s a decades-old institution. The 2013 event had a heavy focus on the intersection of Hollywood, entertainment, and design. Next: Spring 2014

#9 Art & Design Event
The San Diego Museum of Art’s Art Alive is 32 years old. The museum’s signature fund-raiser draws 12,000 and is one of the longest-running and most widely attended events of its kind in the United States. At this year's event there were 103 floral designers on hand to create the exhibition of arrangements. Next: April 11-13, 2014

#10 Art & Design Event
Photo L.A. announced it will take its 23rd edition to a new location: the L.A. Mart. Billed as the first and longest-running photographic art fair in town, the exhibition is departing Santa Monica for the massive 60,000-square-foot exhibit hall downtown and will feature lectures, roundtable discussions, and docent tours. Next: January 16-19, 2014

#11 Art & Design Event (up from #15)
In 2013, Dwell on Design transformed more than 200,000 square feet of exhibition floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center and saw nearly 31,000 attendees—a 12 percent increase over last year. Combined with Dwell Design Week, a series of local events hosted in showrooms around town, the design showcase attracts close to 35,000. Next: June 2014

#12 Art & Design Event
The theme for this year's Laguna Beach Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters was “the big picture,” a salute to classic art that inspired iconic filmmakers. During the annual event, real people pose to look like the subjects in classical and contemporary artworks. Next: Summer 2014

#13 Art & Design Event
Venice Art Walk & Auctions benefits Venice Family Clinic, this year taking in $650,000 for the cause. It bills itself as the largest event of its kind in Southern California, attracting about 3,000 annually. Next: Spring 2014

#14 Art & Design Event
Art Los Angeles Contemporary, now in its fifth year, is the International Contemporary Art fair of the West Coast. It will return to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, with its 40,000 square feet of exhibition space, and will present 70 top galleries from around the world. Next: January 30-February 2, 2014

#15 Art & Design Event
The Mission Federal ArtWalk San Diego will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. It’s the largest event of its kind in the region; this year it filled 17 blocks of downtown San Diego's historic Little Italy district with more than 350 artists. Next: April 26-27, 2014

#1 Festival & Fair
The Los Angeles County Fair, now in its 91st year, offers live entertainment, rides, games, and vendors selling food and crafts. The event draws about 1.5 million people (up from 50,000 on opening day in 1922) and covers a whopping 487 acres. It opens Labor Day weekend each year and runs for four weeks. Next: September 2014

#3 Festival & Fair
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s producer Goldenvoice expanded the three-day concert programming to two weekends in 2012 to meet the massive demand—and it’s continued to have buzzy, sold-out success. Brands generally choose the first weekend to host piggyback events and parties. The festival itself takes over the Empire Polo Fields in Indio. Next: April 11-13 and 18-20, 2014

#4 Festival & Fair
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books’ free-to-the-public weekend of activities includes screenings, food, and music, as well as books and authors. It draws crowds of about 150,000 people to its University of Southern California location (after a move from crosstown rival campus U.C.L.A.). Next: April 12-13, 2014

#6 Festival & Fair
At the Sunset Strip Music Festival, more than 15,000 people turn out to see scores of bands, including this year’s headliner Linkin Park, over three days in West Hollywood. The event culminates with a street festival. Next: August 2014

#1 Benefit
The Carousel of Hope Ball honored George Clooney at the Beverly Hilton last year. Founded by Barbara and the late Marvin Davis in 1977, the blockbuster benefit takes place every other year and has raised $80 million for the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes since its inception, with help from corporate sponsors (like recent presenting sponsor Mercedes-Benz) and entertainment industry partners. Next: Fall 2014

#2 Benefit
Hosted by Nancy Davis at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Race to Erase MS raises big money for the organization and its Center Without Walls program. This year’s event was the 20th annual iteration, and the theme was “Love to Erase MS;” It raised $1.8 million. Next: May 2014

#3 Benefit
California Science Center’s Discovery Ball got a boost this year from the coolest prop imaginable: It took place under the wings of the space shuttle Endeavour, which the museum scored from NASA late last year in a major coup for the museum. Amid all the buzz, the museum sold out tables for the event—even before the invitation dropped. Coupled with live auction tallies, the event secured a record-breaking $1.5 million. Christina Sion heads up the annual event, which typically takes its cues from a new exhibit. Next: May 16, 2014

#4 Benefit
The Los Angeles Philharmonic gala opens the season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This year, the event celebrated the milestone 10th anniversary of the hall and honored its architect Frank Gehry. The concert featured Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, plus installations by video artist and director Netia Jones. Next: September 2014

#5 Benefit
The Entertainment Industry Foundation’s An Unforgettable Evening benefits the Women’s Cancer Research Fund. This year, honorary chairs Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Kate Capshaw, and Steven Spielberg welcomed guests to the event, presented by Saks Fifth Avenue at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Chelsea Handler hosted. Next: May 2014

#6 Benefit
Drawing a celeb-heavy crowd to a private Brentwood estate, the 12-year-old Chrysalis Butterfly Ball is the nonprofit's biggest annual benefit, raising funds to support homeless and low-income individuals. In 2013, Max Greenfield hosted the affair. Next: June 2014

#7 Benefit
Women in Film’s Crystal & Lucy Awards celebrated the organization’s 40th anniversary this year with a glittering gala at the Beverly Hilton. Jenna Elfman hosted, and Max Mara, Swarovski, and Kodak were among the sponsors. The program, which began in 1977, acknowledges women in a male-dominated industry through the annual award show and fund-raiser. Next: June 2014

#8 Benefit
Concern Foundation’s Block Party at Paramount Pictures Studios raised $1.6 million this year, a significant increase over last year’s event. The 39th annual event had a “Salute to Television” theme and drew 400 guests with four entertainment stages and more than 60 restaurants offering tastings. Next: July 2014

#9 Benefit
This year the Los Angeles Opera celebrated the opening of its 28th season with a night that included the premiere of Carmen, conducted by Los Angeles Opera general director Plácido Domingo. There was also a preperformance champagne reception, a dinner catered by Patina, and entertainment. Following the performance, the celebration continued with hors d’oeuvres, desserts, dancing, and cocktails, all with Spanish flair. Next: September 2014

#10 Benefit
The Dinosaur Ball is the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s biannual black-tie fund-raiser. This year, it took a brief pause from that name and was dubbed the Grand Centennial Celebration in honor of the museum’s 100th birthday—and it exceeded fund-raising goals to bring in more than $2 million. The benefit is slated to return in 2015. Next: June 2015

#11 Benefit (up from #12)
Concours D'Elegance at Greystone Mansion, hosted by the City of Beverly Hills as a fund-raiser for the former Doheny family venue, is a super-exclusive version of the high-end car show, with tickets limited to 3,000 attendees. There’s a fashion show, an award ceremony, and a vendor marketplace. Another popular incarnation of the Concours without a benefit component is free to the public and takes over Beverly Hills’s Rodeo Drive on Father’s Day weekend, drawing thousands. Next: May 4, 2014

#12 Benefit (up from #13)
What debuted in 1999 as a mixer for 50 people at Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete’s home has grown into an important fund-raiser with a guest count of about 500. The HollyRod Foundation’s DesignCares benefit raises money for those living with autism and Parkinson’s and includes a reception, fashion show, entertainment, and silent and live auctions. Past honorees have included Michael J. Fox, Donald J. Trump, and Muhammad Ali. Next: Summer 2014

#13 Benefit (up from #14)
U.S.C. Libraries Scripter Award gala, a black-tie event that honors writers for adapting books into film, honored authors Joshuah Bearman and Antonio Mendez and screenwriter Chris Terrio with the 25th annual award for their contributions to Argo this year at Doheny Memorial Library. Next: February 8, 2014

#14 Benefit (up from #15)
This year the Fulfillment Fund’s Stars Benefit at the Beverly Hilton will be hosted by Ed Helms. It will also feature a performance by Pharrell Williams and honor, among others, Sidney Poitier. Next: October 23, 2013

#15 Benefit (up from #17)
Art of Elysium’s Heaven gala is held every year on Golden Globes weekend, and it's the largest annual fund-raiser for the group. Audi was this year’s title sponsor for the event, which took in more than $220,000. Next: January 11, 2014

#16 Benefit (up from #19)
Since 1994, the family-friendly Dream Halloween has raised $16.2 million. The affair benefiting Keep a Child Alive—which acquired the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation in 2012—offers treats for kids, arts and crafts activities, face painting, a sponsor reception, food from local eateries, stage shows, and live and silent auctions at Barker Hangar. This year the event will feature performances by Zendaya and Tori Kelly. Next: October 26, 2013

#17 Benefit (up from #20)
Opening Night at the Hollywood Bowl kicks off the summer season. This year’s benefit concert raised more than $1 million for the philharmonic and its education programs. The night includes a V.I.P. preconcert reception, followed by dinner prepared by Patina and served in guest boxes prior to the concert. A fireworks display caps it off. Next: June 2014

#1 Fashion & Retail Event (up from #7)
Los Angeles Fashion Week’s lack of cohesion is well-known—and regularly criticized—but a wide variety of events nevertheless try to rally around the title. And there’s a distinct feeling that the energy surrounding those efforts is growing. On the calendar is Concept Los Angeles, Style Fashion Week, Designers & Agents, and more. Next: March 2014

#2 Fashion & Retail Event
Divine Design, Project Angel Food's huge holiday shopping benefit, annually raises funds for the meal-delivery organization that serves people with H.I.V./AIDS and other diseases. The event is now in its 22nd year. Next: December 5-9, 2013

#3 Fashion & Retail Event
Rodeo Drive Walk of Style awards, co-sponsored by the City of Beverly Hills and the Rodeo Drive Committee, honors big fashion names on the shopping street. Next: February 2014

#4 Fashion & Retail Event
Macy’s Glamorama benefiting AIDS Project Los Angeles includes a stage show with live music, celebrity appearances, and an after-party. This year’s event went with the theme “Fashion in a New Light” and included performances by the Backstreet Boys and Cirque du Soleil at the Orpheum Theatre; the after-party was at the California Market Center. Next: September 2014

#5 Fashion & Retail Event
Otis College of Art and Design celebrated its 31st annual scholarship benefit and fashion show this year, raising more than $1 million for student scholarships with 800 guests. It bills itself as Los Angeles’s largest annual runway fashion show. Next: May 2014

#6 Fashion & Retail Event
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s Debut Runway Show attracts nearly 10,000 people over three days and features designs from graduating students. The event concludes on the third night with the Debut Runway Show & Gala. Next: March 2014

#7 Fashion & Retail Event
Colleagues Charity Luncheon, which benefits the Children's Institute Inc., this year honored Wallis Annenberg, who announced a $500,000 gift from the Annenberg Foundation at the end of her acceptance speech. The annual fashion show came from Oscar de la Renta. Next: April 2014

#8 Fashion & Retail Event
The Country Friends' Art of Fashion runway show held in partnership with South Coast Plaza at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe is in its 58th year. In a new twist, this year’s event began with the runway show, highlighting the 2013 fall/winter collections of international designers, followed by a luncheon and the opportunity to shop South Coast Plaza boutiques. It ended with the “Apres Affaire,” a wine tasting with dessert and live entertainment. Proceeds benefited more than 20 San Diego County charities. Next: September 2014

#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The Los Angeles Food and Wine festival, presented by Food & Wine magazine, is in its third year. The four-day epicurean event showcases top food and drink culture from all areas of Los Angeles, plus culinary personalities from around the country. This year's big-name chef lineup included the likes of Thomas Keller, Giada De Laurentiis, Daniel Boulud, and Scott Conant. Lexus is a founding partner with Food & Wine, and Delta Air Lines, Jenn-Air and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas are also major partners. Executive director Caryl Chinn led the event. Next: August 2014

#2 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The Taste is The Los Angeles Times’s major Labor Day weekend food and wine festival. As part of a shift to emphasize the focus on Southern California food and beverage trends and culture, the event now comprises five distinct events at Paramount Pictures Studios produced in association with Best Events. Next: September 29-31, 2014

#3 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (up from #4)
San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this fall and claims it will be bigger than ever. It will bring big-name celebrity chefs and culinary personalities, plus more than 200 wineries, breweries, and spirit purveyors, 70 San Diego restaurants, and 10,000 attendees. Next: November 18-24, 2013

#4 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (new to the list)
DineL.A. Restaurant Week is a twice-annual 12-day dining event intended to showcase the city as a top food destination and underscore the diversity of offerings around town. A wide selection of eateries offers special prix fixe lunch and dinner menus as part of the program. Next: January 2014

#5 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation benefit to end childhood hunger moved this year back to Culver City to the Lot in West Hollywood. The June event showcased local restaurants like Fig, Superba Snack Bar, Paiche, Border Grill, Ray’s & Stark Bar, MB Post, and Fishing With Dynamite. Guests who purchased access to the V.I.P. area got bites from James Beard “Rising Star Chef” award-winner Danny Boweien of Mission Chinese Food, all to benefit Share Our Strength, which received 100 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales, a culinary competition, and live and silent auctions. Next: June 1, 2014

#6 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (up from #7)
In 2013 the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo drew thousands of restaurant and foodservice industry professionals to the Los Angeles Convention Center for its annual event, marking a 22 percent increase over last year. Attendees came for three days of tasting new products, meeting with new vendors, and attending education programs at the 77th annual event, sponsored by the California Restaurant Association, a partner of the National Restaurant Association. It heads to Anaheim next year. Next: August 17-19, 2014

#7 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (new to the list)
L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade is now in its fourth year and already making a big impression. Sponsored by HBO, Northwestern Mutual, and Volvo Cars of North America, the event for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer invites food and wine fans for food and drink, children’s activities, silent and live auctions, and other offerings. This year’s event at Culver Studios included chefs like Giada De Laurentiis, Susan Feniger, Neal Fraser, Duff Goldman, Ludo Lefebvre, and Mary Sue Milliken coming together to cook for childhood cancer cures. Next: September 2014

#8 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
U.C.L.A. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center hosted its 17th annual Taste for a Cure food and wine tasting benefit at the Beverly Wilshire on April 26. The event, which focused on Santa Barbara County wines and signature dishes from California’s Central Coast chefs, honored co-head of Creative Artists Agency television department Joe Cohen. Next: Spring 2014

#9 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
A Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters benefit for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is one of the organization’s most important fund-raisers in the United States and annually sells out its 1,400 tickets. The event takes over a sprawling space on the Warner Brothers back lot and has raised $26 million in its quarter-century history. Next: May 17, 2014

#1 Sports Event
The City of Los Angeles Marathon, also known as the Asics L.A. Marathon, continues to gain momentum as a destination event and recently underwent a significant revamp that changed the course to a new, tourist-friendly route. The 2013 race sold out, new title sponsor Asics signed on, and new C.E.O. Tracey Russell came on board. Next: March 9, 2014

#2 Sports Event
The BNP Paribas Open, formerly known as the Pacific Life Open, takes place in Indian Wells near Palm Springs. The huge tennis event draws more than 382,000 fans (and is growing every year), making it the most-attended tennis tournament in the world behind the four Grand Slams. Next: March 3-16, 2014

#3 Sports Event
The Toyota-sponsored Grand Prix of Long Beach draws about 175,000 people over three days, making it one of the largest-paid spectator events in Southern California. The 2014 event will mark the 40th anniversary, and the organizers revealed a new logo in honor of the milestone. Next: April 11-13, 2014

#4 Sports Event
The Holiday Bowl will enter a new era in 2014: It starts a six-year partnership with the Big Ten Conference and extends its current relationship with the Pac-12 Conference for six years. The event attracts about 55,000 live fans plus a national TV audience. Next: December 30, 2013

#5 Sports Event (new to the list)
The Amgen Tour of California is the largest cycling event in America. The Tour de France-style cycling road race, created and presented by AEG, covers nearly 750 miles of California roadways, highways, and coastlines. This year, the eighth annual event ran south to north for the first time. Next: May 2014

#6 Sports Event (new to the list)
Long Beach International City Bank Marathon expects to draw approximately 25,000 runners and cyclists for a full marathon, half marathon, and the VW Think Blue Bike Tour and 5K, along with 2,000 children taking part in the Aquarium of the Pacific Kids One-Mile Fun Run the day before. An estimated 50,000 people attend the two-day Health & Fitness Expo, and an additional 50,000 attend the Finish Line Festival. The event has raised and donated more than $4 million to its official charities since 2005. Next: October 13, 2013

#7 Sports Event
Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular, now in its 28th year, brings out big names in sports and entertainment to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza to benefit the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The event brings in more than $1 million each go. Next: May 2014

#8 Sports Event
Humana Challenge is a new name for the P.G.A. Tour tournament in La Quinta formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic. The revamped event included several format changes beginning last year, and the event is held in partnership with the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Since its inception, Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the event, has contributed more than $52 million to the Eisenhower Medical Center and surrounding Coachella Valley nonprofits. Next: January 13-19, 2014

#9 Sports Event
ESPN’s ESPY Awards take over the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in the summer. This year, Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame hosted, and the Capital One-hosted show saw the Miami Heat and LeBron James as its biggest winners. And the athlete star power didn't just appear on the Nokia stage: venues around town hosted pre- and after-parties, plus suites and lounges added to the award show's glittering footprint. Next: July 2014

#1 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Tournament of Roses will celebrate 125 years of tradition in 2014; the event includes over-the-top floats in the flower-filled parade as well as the Rose Bowl football game. Honda presents the parade and Vizio the game, which itself is marking 100 years this New Year’s Day. Next: January 1, 2014

#2 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event (up from #3)
L.A. Pride, produced by Christopher Street West, drew a whopping 400,000 attendees to West Hollywood in its 43rd year. The annual event includes a parade—one of the largest L.G.B.T. parades in the world—a festival, and other related events, including a social media lounge known as #Imagine. Next: June 6-8, 2014

#3 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event (up from #4)
The West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval bills itself as the largest event of its kind in the world, drawing about 500,000 people to its lively street party. The event began in 1987. Next: October 31, 2013

#4 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Fiesta Broadway brings out more than 300,000 people for what is billed as the largest celebration of Cinco de Mayo in the world. It also lays claim to the largest Hispanic event in the country’s biggest Hispanic market. Next: April 27, 2014

#5 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
The Golden Dragon Parade and Chinese New Year festival, presented by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, draws about 100,000 people for the long-running festivities: The event will mark 115 years in 2014. Next: February 1, 2014

#6 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event (new to the list)
Americafest, the annual tradition of fireworks at the Rose Bowl, is Southern California’s largest show of its kind. The 30-minute show is choreographed and produced by Pyrospectaculars. Honda sponsored the 87th annual event this year, which also has a daytime component with food vendors, entertainment, crafts, exhibits, and inflatable rides for kids outside the stadium. Next: July 4, 2014

#7 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade and Festival now draws about 300,000 attendees—a far cry from the 50,000 or so who came out a century ago when the annual tradition began in 1904. Next: July 4, 2014

#9 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
AIDS Walk Los Angeles is billed as the world’s first and remains California’s largest walkathon to raise funds for and awareness of AIDS. It has raised close to $75 million since 1985 and drawn more than half a million participants. Funds go to AIDS Project Los Angeles. Next: October 13, 2013

#5 Festival & Fair
Abbot Kinney Festival draws a relaxed, beach-minded crowd of about 150,000 each year for music, food, crafts, shopping, and more. The volunteer-produced event dates back to 1984. Next: September 2014