#1 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
Now 90 years old, New York’s best-known parade featured performances by Carrie Underwood and Kristen Chenoweth in 2013 and saw a record 46.7 million TV viewers around the country. Next: November 27, 2014
#3 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
One of the largest events on Brooklyn’s annual calendar, three million people line Eastern Parkway for the colorful celebration of Caribbean-American heritage. Next: September 1, 2014
#4 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event (up from #6)
From 500 people gathering to proclaim gay power following the Stonewall Riots in 1969 to a small parade held the following year, New York’s festival of L.G.B.T. pride has since grown to an oversize extravaganza with 50 floats parading down Fifth Avenue. Next: June 27-29, 2014
#6 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
New Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’ll skip this year’s celebration of Irish-American pride to protest the long-standing controversy over organizers’ exclusion of gay groups, but some 250,000 marchers are still expected. Next: March 17, 2014
#7 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
The unofficial start to New York City’s holiday season saw tens of thousands of spectators, plus performances by Toni Braxton and Ashanti in 2013. Next: December 4, 2014
#8 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
Featuring demonstrations and talks from a wide array of scientists, the family-friendly festival attracted 200,000 people during its five-day run last year. Next: May 28-June 1, 2014
