#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
