Missed or Upcoming Events

#1 Trade Show & Convention
The pop culture convention takes over San Diego every July, growing each year in terms of celebrity tie-ins and general attendees, currently estimated at around 130,000 at the San Diego Convention Center. Brands host copious related events at venues all over town, like nightclubs, hotels, and transformed parking lots. Next: July 24-27, 2014

#2 Trade Show & Convention
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the car expo saw a successful revamp last year, led by president Lisa Kaz and new general manager Teri Toennies. The event added a third press day and a showcase known as Motor Press Guild Invitational that replaced the stale morning keynotes. As a result of the changes, the press days audience grew from 12,750 to 16,00 with a 20 percent increase in news coverage, totaling 2.41 billion impressions. Public days soared, too, with close to a million attending. Next: November 22-December 1, 2014

#3 Trade Show & Convention
Popularly known as E3, the expo takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center each June. The show, which is owned by the Entertainment Software Association and generates an estimated $40 million in revenue for the city, draws about 50,000 attendees, including computer and video game companies, business partners, media, and industry analysts from more than 100 countries. Next: June 2015

#4 Trade Show & Convention (up from #5)
The National Association of Music Merchants’ event is more than a century old and is considered one of the biggest and most important music products shows in the world. The 2014 run drew nearly 96,000 people from more than 100 countries to the Anaheim Convention Center. A contract keeps the show in Anaheim through 2018. Next: January 22-25, 2015

#6 Trade Show & Convention
The massive event, regarded as the top trade show for the natural, organic, and healthy food industry, fills the Anaheim Convention Center with more than 2,600 exhibitors and more than 67,000 attendees over 350,000 net square feet. Next: March 5-8, 2015

#7 Trade Show & Convention
Produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the event brings the global film industry to Santa Monica for eight days of deal making as well as screenings, conferences, networking, and parties. The event draws 8,000 industry pros from more than 70 countries for 700 screenings and the industry’s largest conference series. Next: November 5-12, 2014

#8 Trade Show & Convention
Billed as the largest travel show in the United States, the show is now in its ninth year and in 2014 set a new record with more than 33,000 attendees and 450 exhibitors. At the Long Beach Convention Center, the event’s four stages had capacity crowds for each session, plus there was a 1,000-seat main stage sponsored by Travel Channel. Next: February 21-22, 2015

#9 Trade Show & Convention
The Progressive Insurance-sponsored exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center and in the water at Marina del Rey is among the longest-running boat shows in the country, now in its 57th consecutive year. The event features a kids’ zone, a block party, and a seminar series. This year saw a 15 percent gain in attendance at 13,497 compared to 11,785 in 2013. Next: February 19-22, 2015

#10 Trade Show & Convention
The expo takes over the L.A. Convention Center in the winter and summer—January and July—and it’s the biggest show of its kind on the West Coast. There are 10,000 product lines spread across more than 200,000 square feet. Since acquiring the show in 2012, Urban Expositions has worked to reinvent the event, bringing back more top-name lines and new resources. This summer’s run includes a new Retail Marketing Bootcamp series. Next: July 18-21, 2014

#1 Entertainment Industry Event
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ annual event remains the centerpiece of the award season calendar—and is perhaps the biggest event in town—with no other gathering commanding quite the same level of buzz and media attention. The Oscars take over Los Angeles in the winter, with a swirl of related events including the Academy’s own Governors Ball, plus bashes for Vanity Fair and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Next: February 22, 2015

#2 Entertainment Industry Event
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s dinner ceremony returns annually to the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton hotel with much pomp and glitter. Next year’s event will bring back the comedic hosting duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, given their soaring popularity—and the ratings boost they afforded this year. Next: January 11, 2015

#3 Entertainment Industry Event
The Grammys take over the Staples Center in Los Angeles each year for a splashy telecast that the Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences bills as “music’s biggest night.” The Academy’s Branden Chapman is among a team that oversees a huge official after-party at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and unofficial pre- and after-parties and suites flood the city all week long. Next year’s program will be the 56th annual iteration of the event. Next: February 8, 2015

#4 Entertainment Industry Event
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences event fetes television’s major players at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Seth Meyers will host this year’s 66th annual show, which NBC moved from September to late August to avoid conflict with Sunday Night Football. The academy’s large-scale production, the Governors Ball, is billed as the largest formal dinner in the United States with about 3,800 guests. Next: August 25, 2014

#5 Entertainment Industry Event
The SAG awards draw A-list stars to the Shrine Exposition Center early each award season. The event in 2015 will be the 21st anniversary of the show. People and the Entertainment Industry Foundation host an annual, production-heavy after-party. Next: January 25, 2015

#6 Entertainment Industry Event
The awards happen each Academy Awards weekend, but they’re no Oscars: The laid-back ceremony takes over an oceanfront tent in Santa Monica with a much more casual approach to all the pomp of the season and a more indie-film-minded crowd. Sponsor tents deck the adjacent space. Next: February 21, 2015

#7 Entertainment Industry Event
Last year, BET Networks added the BET Experience to its annual award celebration, creating a multiday fan experience at L.A. Live that was billed as the largest consumer event in the brand’s history. The three-day festival culminates in in the splashy televised show at the Nokia Theatre honoring African-Americans in music, sports, and other entertainment realms. Chris Rock hosted this year’s honors, and Outkast headlined the BET Experience. Next: Summer 2015

#8 Entertainment Industry Event
The American Film Institute’s annual honor was last awarded to Jane Fonda in June. The prize is one of the more prestigious in Hollywood, with the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Gene Kelly, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and Gregory Peck among past honorees. The event debuted in 1973. Next: June 2015

#9 Entertainment Industry Event
The Environmental Media Association’s event last took over the Warner Brothers lot to fete such honorees as Jessica Alba and Elon Musk. The annual eco-minded show honors individuals, organizations, movies, and TV programming that impacts public awareness of environmental issues. There’s also an after-party and auction with an environmentally conscious production. Next: October 2014

#10 Entertainment Industry Event
Although they do not rank near the Grammys in terms of importance to the music community, the awards still command buzz during the ceremony at the Nokia Theatre each year. Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake were among last fall’s big winners. Next: November 2014

#11 Entertainment Industry Event
The American Film Institute’s event, with Audi as the presenting sponsor, is unique in offering tickets free to the public; it’s the only festival of its prominence to do so. The festival that originally launched as Filmex in 1971—and is billed as the longest-running international film festival in Los Angeles—includes red carpet events and galas in addition to screenings. Next: November 6-13, 2014

#12 Entertainment Industry Event
The event celebrated its 20-year milestone in June with a program in conjunction with presenting media sponsor The Los Angeles Times and host partner L.A. Live. The festival screened more than 400 films from 40 countries and also included programs like the filmmakers’ retreat, music in film nights at the Grammy Museum, and master classes. Next: June 2015

#13 Entertainment Industry Event (new to the list)
The film festival, which celebrated its silver anniversary this year, is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees annually for its lineup of new and celebrated international films. The festival is also known for its annual black-tie award gala, honoring the likes of Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, and Kate Winslet. Next: January 2-12, 2015

#14 Entertainment Industry Event (new to the list)
The Paley Center for Media’s event draws fans and media enthusiasts each year to connect with talent and get exclusive, behind-the-scenes details on their favorite shows during interactive panel sessions and premiere screenings. The festival benefits the Paley Center for Media’s preservation and archival digitization efforts. This year, the three-decade-old festival moved to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, a testament to its growth in significance: the 2014 event drew about 30,000, nearly double the previous year’s figures. Next: Spring 2015

#15 Entertainment Industry Event
The event celebrated 40 years this year, with fans casting a record-breaking 700 million-plus votes. Potential nominees are determined annually by national ratings averages, box-office grosses, music sales, social media activity, and online data. Mark Burnett and Jane Mun are the executive producers, and Procter & Gamble Productions produces the show. Next: January 2015

#16 Entertainment Industry Event
The gay advocacy group’s event marked its 25th anniversary this year, celebrating outstanding images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the media at the biggest such gala in the country. Held in New York and Los Angeles with more than 5,000 attendees, the Los Angles awards took place at the Beverly Hilton in April. Next: March 2015

#17 Entertainment Industry Event
The magazine’s annual event takes place at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and celebrated 20 years last year with A-list honorees including Reese Witherspoon and Penelope Cruz. Calvin Klein Collection, L'Oréal Paris, and David Yurman were among the sponsors of the 2013 event, which turned the hotel ballroom into a refined, minimalist dining room for a celebrity-heavy crowd. Next: Fall 2014

#18 Entertainment Industry Event
Designed to bridge the Hollywood and British entertainment communities, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Los Angeles branch hosts numerous events, the most influential of which is the Britannia Awards. The gala ceremony—which supports Bafta L.A.’s education, scholarship, community outreach, and archival projects—draws A-list stars as presenters and honorees; last fall it was sponsored by Jaguar and BBC America. Next: October 30, 2014

#19 Entertainment Industry Event (new to the list)
The musical outing at the Hollywood Bowl from Playboy Enterprises is one of the most well-known fests of its kind in the United States; it wrapped its 36th run in June. Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, and the Roots have performed on the event’s stage. George Lopez, who took over from Bill Cosby, hosted for the second consecutive year. Next: June 2015

#1 Art & Design Event (up from #2)
The fund-raiser is only in its fourth year, but after just three previous iterations, it’s already made a major mark on the art world event scene: Last year’s gala raised a record-breaking $4.1 million for the museum, honoring David Hockney and Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio co-chaired with Lacma trustee Eva Chow; the celebrity and Hollywood tie-in is a major feature of the gala. Next: Fall 2014

#2 Art & Design Event
This year the big 35th anniversary celebration was sponsored by Louis Vuitton and raised a whopping $2.4 million for the museum. The inventive benefit often has over-the-top creative production, like last year’s homage to marijuana. Next: Spring 2015

#3 Art & Design Event
Billed as the longest-running venue for contemporary, modern, historic, and traditional art in the country, the expo will celebrate its 20th year in 2015. The 2014 show hosted more than 120 galleries and drew more than 50,000 visitors. Next: January 14-18, 2015

#4 Art & Design Event
The Westwood art museum’s event is a major date on the fall social calendar, selling out each year. Last October’s gala honored Robert Gober and Tony Kushner and raised $2 million with 600 guests and catering by chef Suzanne Goin of Lucques. Next: Fall 2014

#5 Art & Design Event (up from #6)
Lacma’s weekend-long program for donors ends with a gala dinner at the museum each spring. This year’s event in April was sponsored by JPMorgan Private Bank and raised a record-breaking $4.1 million toward acquisitions. In its 29 years, the event has made 202 acquisitions through donations totaling more than $32 million. Next: Spring 2015

#6 Art & Design Event
The benefit is the museum's most important fund-raiser and one of the county’s most prominent social events. The 2014 black-tie gala was presented by Louis Vuitton on the Bridge of Gardens at South Coast Plaza—the first-ever event held on the structure. Next: Spring 2015

#7 Art & Design Event (up from #8)
The spring market at the Pacific Design Center is a major West Coast design showcase, with two days of events that debut offerings from among 2,200 product lines presented by 100 showroom manufacturers. Programs and events for more than 3,000 trade participants include partnerships with top shelter publications, editors, and influencers. Next: Spring 2015

#8 Art & Design Event (up from #9)
The event is the museum’s signature fund-raiser and annual springtime flower exhibition. This year included 120 floral interpretations of famous works of art and three days of events drawing more than 10,000. Next: April 24-26, 2015

#9 Art & Design Event (up from #11)
The design event transforms more than 300,000 square feet of exhibition space at the L.A. Convention Center for more than 30,000 attendees. New to this year’s event were the Dwell on Design Pavilions—curated, gallery-like exhibition spaces on the show floor—and the Dwell Store, which allowed attendees to make purchases right from the floor. Next: June 2015

#10 Art & Design Event
This year the photography fair moved to a new venue, the L.A. Mart, offering its biggest event yet and drawing 18,000 attendees. The 23rd installment of the show included works from the 19th century through the present and also included lectures, roundtable discussions, and docent tours. Next year, it will return to downtown, with dates coordinating with the L.A. Art Show. Next: January 15-18, 2015

#11 Art & Design Event
This year gets the theme “the art detective,” focusing on art mysteries and the way art treasures are lost and discovered. Each year at the pageant, people pose to look like the subjects in classical and contemporary artworks, and attendees may also access the art show with 140 local artists’ works. Next: July 6-August 30, 2014

#12 Art & Design Event (up from #13)
The 35th annual event benefitting Venice Family Clinic took place in May, hosting a 350-item silent auction for the cause. The event bills itself as the largest of its kind in Southern California, attracting about 3,000 each year with artist studio tours and a community celebration. Next: May 17, 2015

#13 Art & Design Event (up from #14)
The West Coast art fair will return to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar for its next go. The event presents 70 top galleries from around the world and attracts more than 12,000. Fair Grounds Associates produces. Next: January 29-February 1, 2015

#14 Art & Design Event (new to the list)
The second annual United States version of global photographic art fair was held this spring, drawing more than 16,000 guests to the Paramount Pictures Studios’s sound stages and New York Street back lot. The public program included special exhibitions, as well as conversations and screenings. Next: April 24-26, 2015

#15 Art & Design Event
The event, with Mission Federal Credit Union as the title sponsor, filled 17 blocks of downtown San Diego in the historic Little Italy district this year with more than 350 artists. The 30th anniversary of the event received a proclamation from Mayor Todd Gloria. Next: April 25-26, 2015

#2 Festival & Fair
The annual fair ranks among North America’s largest, drawing more than 1.36 million people in 2013 (and more than 1.4 million at its peak in 2011). The event includes 23 days and nights of food, rides, exhibits, animals, music, action sports, and headline concerts at the Pacific Amphitheatre. Next: July 11-August 10, 2014

#3 Festival & Fair
Year after year, the music fest sells out almost immediately after producer Goldenvoice makes tickets available. The festival at Indio’s Empire Polo Fields runs for two consecutive weekends each April, since a 2012 format change expanded it from one. Brands typically host events during the buzzier first weekend. Next: April 10-12 and April 17-19, 2015

#4 Festival & Fair
The spring event is free to the public, drawing more than 150,000 annually for books and authors, as well as screenings, food, and music. This year’s program at the University of Southern California added stages for poetry and emerging bands. Next year organizers will introduce evening event programming. Next: April 18-19, 2015

#5 Festival & Fair
The festival, which celebrates 30 years this year, takes place along a mile-long stretch of the famous beach boulevard. It draws a relaxed, beach-minded crowd of about 120,000 each year for about 300 vendors with music, food, crafts, shopping, and more. Next: September 28, 2014

#6 Festival & Fair (new to the list)
This year the event will take place at new venue L.A. Sports Arena & Exposition Park downtown and is expected to draw 30,000. Produced in association with Goldenvoice, the music festival is set to include indoor and outdoor stages and expanded food options. Founded in 2003, FYF Fest began as a small event in Echo Park and has grown to a prominent gathering: Last year the event sold out the L.A. Historic State Park Grounds for its 10th anniversary. Next: August 23-24, 2014

#7 Festival & Fair
This year the event will drop down to a two-day festival from three in the past. Nevertheless, organizers of the festival expect to draw thousands of music-loving attendees to see dozens of bands in West Hollywood, including headliners like Jane’s Addiction and Empire of the Sun. The festival will include three outdoor stages, interactive experiences, and food and drink. Next: September 20-21, 2014

#1 Benefit
From its beginning in 1978, the event, which takes over the Beverly Hilton Hotel every two years, has raised more than $75 million towards finding a cure for diabetes. Chairman Barbara Davis and her committee raise big dollars through sponsorships (like presenting sponsor Mercedes-Benz), a live and silent auction, underwriting, and contributions. Past performances have come from the likes of Beyoncé, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston. Next: October 11, 2014

#2 Benefit
Hosted by multiple sclerosis survivor and patient advocate Nancy Davis, the gala raised more than $1.75 million at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza this May. CeeLo Green, Natalie Cole, and Steven Tyler were among the performers. Next: April 24, 2015

#3 Benefit
This year the fund-raiser got an ancient Italian look and feel, inspired by “Pompeii: The Exhibition,” and appropriately took over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The event grossed $1.35 million and has grossed more than $15.5 million since the inaugural ball in 1999. Christina Sion heads up the annual event, which typically draws its theme from the opening of a new exhibit. Next: March 2015

#4 Benefit
The gala opens the season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. This year, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will celebrate John Williams, with sponsorship from Rolex. Gustavo Dudamel is the conductor, and Itzhak Perlman will be on violin. Next: September 30, 2014

#5 Benefit (up from #6)
The nonprofit's biggest annual benefit raises money to support homeless and low-income individuals. The event hit a fund-raising record this year of $1.4 million, with Al Gore as a presenter. Gavin Rossdale and Karmin performed at June’s 13th annual program. Next: June 2015

#6 Benefit (up from #7)
This year's annual honors, which began in 1977 and acknowledges women in a male-dominated industry, brought a glittering show hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Presenters included Amy Adams and Kristen Bell, and Cate Blanchett and Kerry Washington received awards. Next: June 2015

#7 Benefit (up from #8)
The cancer research nonprofit’s big fund-raiser celebrated 40 years on July 12 with a “Fiesta Grande” theme—and a new approach to a tribute journal, which this year was looped digitally instead of printed. Last year, the block party raised $1.6 million, a significant increase over the previous iteration. Next: Summer 2015

#8 Benefit
The opera’s opening-night gala will celebrate the premiere of the 29th season, benefitting the company’s artistic and educational programs. The 2014 event will debut La Traviata with Plácido Domingo. The gala begins with a pre-performance champagne reception and ends with a dinner catered by Patina and an Art Deco-style after-party. Next: September 13, 2014

#9 Benefit
In 2013 the organizers of the black-tie biannual fund-raiser broke with tradition and dubbed the gathering the Grand Centennial Celebration in honor of the museum’s 100th anniversary. The event exceeded its hefty fund-raising goal of more than $2 million. Next: June 13, 2015

#10 Benefit (up from #15)
This year the event at the Skirball Center took in a record-breaking $2.3 million for the organization. The bash is held annually on Golden Globes weekend and is the largest annual fund-raiser for the group. Mercedes-Benz was the title sponsor in 2014, and next year, Marina Abramović and Amber Heard will take home awards. Next: January 10, 2015

#11 Benefit
This year events for the car show in Beverly Hills nodded to the city’s centennial anniversary. The Greystone Mansion version in May is hosted by the city as a fund-raiser for the former Doheny family venue and includes a fashion show, award ceremony, and 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 3, 2015

#12 Benefit (up from #17)
The benefit kicks off the summer season, as well as raises money for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its education programs that reach more than 120,000 kids. Opening night includes a V.I.P. pre-concert reception followed by a dinner prepared by Patina and served in guest boxes prior to the concert. A fireworks display caps it off. This year’s lineup included Kristin Chenoweth, the Go-Go’s, and Pink Martini. The 2013 benefit concert raised more than $1 million. Next: June 2015

#13 Benefit
This year’s benefit will be held at West Hollywood’s the Lot Studios, with a program that includes a dinner, fashion show, and live auction. The event launched by Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete raises money for those living with autism and Parkinson’s. It debuted in 1999 as a mixer for 50 people at the Peete home and is now in its 16th year. Next: July 19, 2014

#1 Fashion & Retail Event
It’s not known for the same kind of heft as Fashion Weeks in New York or Paris. There’s a lack of cohesion to the events, particularly after the partnership between Smashbox and IMG dissolved in 2008, but a huge assembly of hosts nevertheless put programs together twice each year—and there’s a buzz around the events that indicates a renewed excitement and importance. Events loosely grouped under the L.A. Fashion Week category include Style Fashion Week, L.A. Fashion Weekend, and Simply Stylist. Next: October 2014

#3 Fashion & Retail Event
Co-sponsored by the City of Beverly Hills and the Rodeo Drive Committee, the event honoring major fashion personalities kicked off in 2003. The most recent event coincided with Oscar weekend in February and took over the historic Greystone Mansion with Cate Blanchett presenting the award to The Great Gatsby costume designer Catherine Martin. Next: November 2014

#4 Fashion & Retail Event
Benefiting long-standing partner AIDS Project Los Angeles, the retailer’s 2014 event will forgo the stage show from past years and bring a first-of-its-kind party to Create Nightclub. Paul Oakenfold will headline the affair, which will include an appearance by Jason Derulo as well as a fashion runway element. Next: September 9, 2014

#5 Fashion & Retail Event
The event is billed as Los Angeles’s largest fashion runway show with more than 70 professional models in more than 175 designs. About 800 guests come to check out the designs from Otis students, raising more than $1 million in 2013. Next: Spring 2015

#6 Fashion & Retail Event
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s annual event attracts nearly 10,000 people over three days and features designs from graduating students. The black-tie gala is the centerpiece of the program and raises funds for the school’s scholarship foundation. Next: March 21, 2015

#7 Fashion & Retail Event
This year the event benefiting the Children's Institute Inc. honored Princess Charlène of Monaco and featured a fashion preview of Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2014 collection for 800 guests. Next: Spring 2015

#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
Presented by Food & Wine magazine, the festival is heading into its fourth iteration this year, after attracting 18,000 in 2013. The four-day citywide food and wine event showcases top tastes from throughout Los Angeles, plus culinary personalities from around the country. There are live demos, wine and spirit tastings, strolling events, lunches, grand tastings, book signings, and after-parties. Lexus is a founding partner with Food & Wine. Next: August 21-24, 2014

#2 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The event is the The Los Angeles Times’s annual celebration of the Southern California culinary scene. The major Labor Day weekend food and wine festival, composed of five distinct events drawing about 8,500 to Paramount Pictures Studios, is produced in association with Best Events. Next: August 29-31, 2014

#3 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
In 2013 the event celebrated its 10th anniversary, with a jump in attendees to about 10,000. Overall, there were 70 restaurants and 170 wine and spirit purveyors providing samples during the program. Many of the week’s events sold out. Next: November 17-23, 2014

#4 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The restaurant week takes over town twice each year, once in the winter and once in the summer. The dining event now spans 14 days—an addition of two more days than past iterations—and is meant to showcase Los Angeles as a top food destination as well as highlight the diversity of food offerings available. A long list of 300 eateries provide special prix fixe lunch and dinner menus as part of the program. Next: July 14-27, 2014

#5 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event (up from #6)
The event is billed as the largest showcase of food service products in the western United States. Together with co-located show Expo Comida Latino, the program brings together more than 600 vendors and more than 10,000 restaurant, food service, and retail professionals to the Anaheim Convention Center. The trade show, which was founded in 1936, is sponsored by the California Restaurant Association, a partner of the National Restaurant Association. Last year’s show marked a 22 percent growth in attendance over 2012. Next: August 17-19, 2014

#6 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The benefit to end childhood hunger took place in Culver City again this year, after last year’s move from the Lot in West Hollywood. Culinary talents like Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Ray Garcia, Neal Fraser, and Josiah Citrin all participated in the event, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Share Our Strength. Next: June 2015

#7 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
After only four years, the event has established itself as a major player on the culinary benefit scene, raising more than $530,000 for the fight against childhood cancer and drawing more than 1,700 guests to last year’s event. The 2014 iteration, hosted by Suzanne Goin, Caroline Styne, and David Lentz, moves to a new venue at U.C.L.A. Next: September 20, 2014

#8 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
U.C.L.A. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center hosted its 19th annual food and wine tasting benefit at the Beverly Wilshire on April 26, with a focus on French wines and cuisine. Sony Pictures Television president Steve Mosko was honored with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award. The event has raised nearly $10 million in its two-decade history. Next: Spring 2015

#9 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event
The benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation sells out its 1,400 tickets each year. The event takes over a massive footprint on the Warner Brothers back lot and has raised $27 million in its quarter-century history. It draws 50 participating chefs and 75 California wineries. Next: May 16, 2015

#1 Sports Event
Also known as the Asics L.A. Marathon, the event is continuing to pick up speed as a destination running event with its new tourist-friendly scenic course that runs from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier. In 2014, the marathon sold out for the second straight year, drawing 25,000 runners from around the world. It also raised a record-breaking $3.7 million for its 91 charity partners. Next: March 15, 2015

#2 Sports Event
Formerly known as the Pacific Life Open, the event is the most-attended tennis tournament in the world behind the four grand slams drawing more than 430,000 spectators. The event takes place each year in Indian Wells near Palm Springs with a 16,100-seat main stadium. Next: March 9-22, 2015

#3 Sports Event
The Toyota-sponsored race takes over the streets of downtown with a nearly two-mile circuit. It draws more than 170,000 spectators over three days, making it one of the largest paid spectator events in Southern California. In 2014, the event celebrated its 40th anniversary. Next: April 17-19, 2015

#4 Sports Event
Taking place in San Diego each year, the post-season college football game drew close to 53,000 attendees in 2013. The televised game will enter a new era this winter when it starts a six-year partnership with the Big Ten Conference and extends its current relationship with the Pac-12 Conference for six years. Next: December 27, 2014

#5 Sports Event
The Amgen-sponsored Tour de France-style road race is billed as the largest cycling event in America. Created and presented by AEG, it’s a demanding course that traverses a sweeping stretch of California roadways, highways, and coastlines each year in the spring. Next: May 2015

#6 Sports Event (new to the list)
First held under a different name in 1959, the event has been owned by IMG since 2000 and is now billed as the largest surfing competition in the world; Vans is the title sponsor. It draws an estimated 500,000 people to Huntington Beach each year, and this year’s theme celebrates 100 years of surfing in the beach city. Next: July 26-August 3, 2014

#7 Sports Event
One of the country’s more scenic races, the International City Bank-sponsored marathon runs along bike paths and past the Queen Mary. The event draws about 26,000 for a full marathon, a half marathon, a bike tour, and the Aquarium of the Pacific Kids One-Mile Fun Run the day before. Many more attend the two-day Health & Fitness Expo, and an additional 50,000 attend the Finish Line Festival. Next: October 12, 2014

#8 Sports Event
This year the gala was held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, benefitting the new Sports Spectacular Health & Wellness Center at Cedars-Sinai. The event brings together big names in sports and entertainment and raises more than $1 million each go—bringing in $24 million since the event’s inception. Next: May 2015

#9 Sports Event
Formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic, the event is the big P.G.A. Tour tournament in La Quinta. Since 1960, Desert Classic Charities, the nonprofit that organizes the event, has donated more than $52.5 million to Eisenhower Medical Center and other local nonprofit organizations. Next: January 19-25, 2015

#10 Sports Event
The sports channel’s annual honors are held at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in the summer. Drake will host this year’s event, and Capital One is the presenting sponsor. In addition to the big show, athletes flock to venues around town, where pre- and after-parties plus suites and lounges add to the award show's overall impact on the city. Next: July 16, 2014

#1 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
The 125-year-old event is a Los Angeles institution and includes intricate floral and organic floats in the nationally televised parade, which reaches 55 million United States households, as well as the Rose Bowl football game. The football game itself marked its landmark centennial anniversary this year. About 700,000 attend the parade, and more than 95,000 the game. Next: January 1, 2015

#2 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event (up from #4)
The carnival draws about 500,000 people for a massive holiday street party each year since it started in 1987. The most recent installment of the event, which bills itself as the largest of its kind in the world and the second largest event in town after the Tournament of Roses, got a 1950s noir theme with six stages and about 50 performers. Next: October 31, 2014

#3 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Produced by Christopher Street West, L.A. Pride is a more than four decades old. It draws a whopping 400,000 attendees to West Hollywood for a weekend-long celebration that includes the parade—one of the largest L.G.B.T. parades in the world—a festival, and other related events. Next: June 12-14, 2015

#4 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
The festive fair fills the streets of downtown Los Angeles, including the new Grand Park at City Hall, for what’s billed as the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration anywhere in the world, as well as the largest Hispanic event in the country’s largest Hispanic market. Next: April 26, 2015

#5 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Presented by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, the parade celebrated its 115th year in 2014. And, as one of the longest-running events in Los Angeles, the Chinese New Year celebration draws about 100,000 people to North Broadway in Chinatown. Next: February 2015

#6 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Held each July 4 at the Rose Bowl, the event is the largest fireworks show in Southern California. Produced by Pyrospectaculars by Souza, the show is currently in its 88th year. In addition to fireworks, Americafest offers food vendors, kids’ rides, entertainment, and more. Next: July 4, 2015

#8 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
Each spring the event takes place in both New York and Los Angeles, raising money for the fight against women’s cancers over Mother’s Day weekend. The Los Angeles race and walk draws about 30,000 participants; in total, the event has raised about $70 million since 1994. Next: May 2015

#9 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
The walkathon is celebrating 30 years this fall; it’s one of the biggest and oldest AIDS fund-raisers in the country. Last year the event drew 25,000 walkers and 2,500 volunteers and raised more than $2.5 million for H.I.V./AIDS prevention, treatment, and advocacy programs. Since its beginning, the event has raised more than $76 million. Next: October 12, 2014

#10 Parade, Walk & Holiday Event
The event has had various ups and downs. It began in 1928 and continued to grow for decades, until it flopped for various reasons in recent years, including financial loss, bad TV ratings, and failure to attract celebrities. In 2007, it was replaced by the Hollywood Santa Parade, but the Thanksgiving time Hollywood Christmas Parade is back to that name and picking up speed. Next: November 30, 2014