#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
