#1 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Regarded as the second-largest pride celebration in the world (Sao Paolo hosts the largest), the rainbow-decked celebration drew a record one million-plus people in 2015. It includes a celebration at City Hall, a parade with 200 contingents, and main stage performances from the likes of Lady Gaga. In 2015, the headliner was Shiny Toy Guns. Next: June 25-26, 2016
#3 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Presented by Southwest Airlines, the gathering is billed as the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of China. The festive event—a tradition since the 1860s—draws more than 400,000 attendees each year. Next: February 20, 2016
#4 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Billed as “the largest multicultural celebration on the West Coast,” the event celebrates Latin American and Caribbean culture. It draws 400,000 guests and includes a grand parade with 52 marching and dancing contingents and floats. Next: May 2016
#5 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
The event takes place before the Chinese New Year and allows families to purchase plants, flowers, candies, and fruits for the celebration. It draws more than 400,000 attendees. There’s also a mini procession with lion dancers, puppets, stilt walkers, drummers, and dancers. Next: January 30-31, 2016
#6 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
“The biggest little parade in San Francisco,” includes a popular Easter bonnet contest, fare from Union Street restaurants, and kid-friendly activities such as a petting zoo. Annual attendance averages at 20,000. Next: March 27, 2016
#7 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Now 62 years old, the event is considered one of the country’s first outdoor festivals. It has Italian street painting, live music, a kids' chalk area, and more than 150 booths with arts, crafts, and more. There’s also a blessing of the animals. Next: June 11-12, 2016
#8 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
The quintessentially San Francisco fair will mark its 39th anniversary in 2016. Celebrating the hippie culture that the street is known for, the event includes arts and crafts, live music, food booths, and a family-friendly area known as “Child’s Alley.” Next: June 12, 2016
#11 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
The colorful event outgrew its original home in Dolores Park and moved to Golden Gate Park in 2013. The unusual celebration includes an Easter bonnet contest alongside burlesque performances. Also popular: the “Hunky Jesus” and “Foxy Mary” contests. Next: March 27, 2016
#12 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Some 200,000 guests attend the two-weekend-long celebration of Japanese-American culture each year. Known as the second-largest celebration of its kind in the United States (the largest is in Washington, D.C.), the event includes martial arts, a queen program, and a grand parade. There’s also a kids’ corner that has educational offerings for tots. Next: April 9-10 and April 16-17, 2016
#13 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Held in Half Moon Bay, which is called “the world pumpkin capital,” the event is 45 years old. It displays gigantic pumpkins, three stages of live entertainment, and a multitude of pumpkin-theme eats. Last year, a highlight was the world’s largest mosaic pumpkin sculpture, which was created by artist Peter Hazel and weighed 100,000 pounds. Next: October 17-18, 2015
#14 Parade, Holiday Event & Fair
Every winter for the past 36 years, a neighborhood in Marin County transforms into a scene from the North Pole thanks to 40 tons of imported snow. A big draw is free sledding. Other highlights include arts and crafts, live entertainment, children’s activities, a tree lighting ceremony, and the Parade of Lights complete with Santa and his friends—one of the largest parades in the Bay Area. Next: November 27, 2015
