#1 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
The department store giant, which has been hosting the parade since 1924, says that three million spectators turned out to watch its signature giant balloons float down to Macy’s Herald Square flagship, while another 22 million watched on TV. Next: November 26, 2015
#2 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
The iconic celebration ringing in the New Year is nearly a century old, but attractions like Idina Menzel singing “Let It Go” and an annual news highlights reel presented by the Associated Press keep it fresh for the million-plus spectators who flock to Midtown for the revelry. Next: December 31, 2015
#3 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
The Labor Day celebration of Caribbean heritage fills Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood with the music, dance, and costumes of the Islands. Next: September 7, 2015
#4 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
A fixture since 1970, the year after the Stonewall Riots galvanized the L.G.B.T. rights movement, the march blends commemoration with colorful displays that make it a rallying event for L.G.B.T. pride in New York City. Next: June 28, 2015
#5 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
With the theme “Un Pueblo, Muchas Voces” (One Nation, Many Voices), the celebration of Puerto Rican culture and community bounced back after organizational turmoil left its future in question. Last year, organizers tripled the number of scholarships it gives out to Puerto Rican students by growing its scholarship fund from $10,000 to $30,000. Next: June 14, 2015
#7 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
The first Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center dates back to 1931; lights were added two years later. Now, thousands of spectators brave the cold to watch performances and other festivities when the switch is thrown. Next: December 2, 2015
#8 Parade, Festival & Holiday Event
Despite only launching in 2008, the citywide event attracted an impressive 320,000 participants to 77 programs in 22 venues in 2014. This year’s festivities celebrate the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s theory of relativity. Next: May 27-31, 2015
