#1 Sports Event
About 25,000 runners take part in the destination marathon with a relatively new sightseeing-friendly course known as “Stadium to the Sea.” This year, the race fell on Valentine’s Day—having moved up to correspond with the Olympic team trials for men’s and women’s marathons—and Skechers came in as the new title sponsor. Next: March 2017
#2 Sports Event
The highly attended tennis tournament drew more than 456,000 to the event, which was previously known as the Pacific Life Open. The tournament happens each year in Indian Wells, with a 16,100-seat main stadium. Next: March 6-19, 2017
#3 Sports Event
The 42nd iteration of the Toyota-sponsored race is set for the spring and covers nearly two miles of closed streets in downtown Long Beach. A crowd of about 180,000 spectators comes out over three days, making it one of the region’s biggest paid spectator events. The event also includes about 10 hours of televised action. Next: April 15-17, 2016
#4 Sports Event
Last year, the University of Southern California lost to Wisconsin in the annual Christmastime event, which drew nearly 56,000. The post-season college football game is televised each year from its home in San Diego (which also hosts the smaller-scale Poinsettia Bowl match-up). Next: December 2016
#5 Sports Event
The route for this year’s Amgen-sponsored road race will include a challenging course across nearly 800 miles of California's most scenic terrain. The world’s top cyclists compete for the overall title at the annual Tour de France-style road race, created and presented by AEG. Next: May 15-22, 2016
#6 Sports Event
The event is billed as the world's largest surf competition and lifestyle festival. Each summer, it draws about half a million people over the course of nine days to watch the world’s top surfers compete for one of the largest prize purses in the industry. In addition to surfing, events in recent years have included skateboarding and BMX competitions, live music, movie premieres, fashion shows, and product demos. Next: July 24-31, 2016
#7 Sports Event
The event is among the longest-running tournaments on the P.G.A. Tour. It dates back to its 1926 debut at Los Angeles Country Club and has taken place at various locations throughout the area before permanently settling at the Riviera Country Club in 1973. City of Hope was named the official charity of the event beginning in 2013, and the following year the open generated a record $2.1 million to benefit that institution and other nonprofits in area; the charitable total is now $58 million. Next: February 2017
#8 Sports Event
Offering a view of the Pacific Ocean, the scenic race starts in downtown Long Beach and heads toward the Queen Mary and through Shoreline Village. Related festivities include a half-marathon, run/walk, bike tour, health and fitness expo, and finish line festival. Next: October 9, 2016
#9 Sports Event (up from #11)
The sports network hosts its award show every summer at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live. Last year’s show aired for the first time on sister station ABC instead of ESPN and scored in the ratings, attracting ABC’s biggest summertime audience for the night since 2005. The show saw a 250 percent increase in total viewers on ESPN—7.7 million versus 2.2 million—and was the most-watched and highest-rated ESPYs ever. Next: July 13, 2016
#10 Sports Event
The annual gala has raised $25 million for doctors, the Medical Genetics Institute, and the new Sports Spectacular Diabetes & Obesity Wellness & Research Center since its inception in 1986. The event, which will this year move to the W Hotel Los Angeles—West Beverly Hills, brings together big names in sports and entertainment and raises more than $1 million each time. Next: Spring 2017
#11 Sports Event
The significant P.G.A. Tour tournament in La Quinta, which has seen four Presidents play while in office, was previously known as the Bob Hope Classic and sponsored by Humana. Desert Classic Charities, the charitable entity that organizes the event in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, has contributed more than $56 million to a range of Coachella Valley charitable organizations and the Eisenhower Medical Center. Next: January 20, 2017
