#2 Parade & Festival
The 30th anniversary “Diamond Jubilee” celebration of the fund-raiser for H.I.V. and AIDS research will bring a week of extravagant DJ parties to Miami Beach. Next: November 26-December 1, 2014
#3 Parade & Festival
An eclectic mix of fine and funky arts and crafts are on hand at the long-running, 12-block street fair in downtown Delray Beach, which consistently draws out some 250,000 attendees. Next: April 10-12 2015
#4 Parade & Festival
At a holiday lights tradition that only South Florida could produce, an impressive array of lighted boats and yachts parade through the intercoastal waterway at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, with some one million spectators on hand. Next: December 13, 2014
#5 Parade & Festival
The nation’s largest book fair features 251 exhibitors, 250,000 attendees, and approximately one million books for sale. Next: November 16-23, 2014
#7 Parade & Festival (up from #8)
A record crowd of more than 100,000 people turned out for the six-year-old celebration of L.G.B.T. pride this year—one of the region’s fastest-growing events. Next: April 10-12, 2015
#8 Parade & Festival
The 23rd season of RenFest will kick off in February; the once-small event has grown into a dual festival with multiple two-week runs, one in Deerfield Beach and one in Miami. Next: February 2015
#9 Parade & Festival
Chelsea Handler, Mike Epps, and Joe Rogan were among the name-brand stand-ups bringing fans to Colony Theater and the Fillmore Miami Beach for the 2014 edition of Comedy Central’s laugh-filled festival. Next: April 2015
#10 Parade & Festival
A 22 percent increase in attendance meant 600,000 people came to Florida’s largest fair in 2014, yet the event’s location for future shows may be in jeopardy as Florida International University’s expansion plans may include the public fairgrounds. Next: March 12-April 5, 2015
#11 Parade & Festival
The 10-year-old L.G.B.T. dance party now includes two distinct mini events: the beach party and pool party, which reeled in 10,000 total attendees. Next: March 4-9, 2015
#12 Parade & Festival
On the last Sunday of each year, the colorful parade puts the “nut” in Coconut Grove, with 10,000 quirkily dressed participants strutting through downtown. Next: December 28, 2014
#13 Parade & Festival
The signature event of the Junior Orange Bowl Festival—which brings 7,500 young athletes to Coral Gables for a variety of sporting activities—the 66-year-old parade heralds the arrival of college football’s biggest game in Florida. Next: December 2014
#14 Parade & Festival
The five-year-old Caribbean pride parade and party will move from Sun Life Stadium to a new venue this year, the Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds. Next: October 12, 2014
#15 Parade & Festival (new to the list)
Over 15 years, the gay women’s charity event has grown from a small dance party and fund-raiser into a weekend-long destination event with 4,000 attendees from around the country. Next: May 2015
