New York
#1 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
For the Thanksgiving holiday, there’s only been one event that has dominated for decades. Now in its 90th year, the parade—which is watched by an estimated 3 million people on the streets of Manhattan and 44 million viewers on NBC—appeals to wide ranges of age groups with its over-the-top floats and balloons, giant decorations, and a variety of live entertainment. The 2015 edition had 17 giant character balloons; 24 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonicles, and trycaloons; 27 floats; 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; 12 marching bands; and a slew of celebrity performers. Next: November 24, 2016
New York
#2 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
Watching the crystal ball drop in New York’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight has become a New Year’s Eve tradition for millions of people around the world. An estimated 1 million people brave the chilly winter weather to experience in person what is probably the world’s most famous New Year’s Eve party. In 2015, about 13 million U.S. viewers watched the event on ABC, which consistently has the highest-rated New Year’s Eve U.S. telecast, hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Artists who performed in Times Square for the ABC telecast included Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Demi Lovato, and Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth. An estimated 6,000 New York police officers serve on duty that night, while about 2,000 pounds of confetti drop on revelers during the celebration. Next: December 31, 2016
New Orleans
#3 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
There are several Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S., but none is more famous than the one in New Orleans, which draws an estimated 1.4 million people. The three days before “Fat Tuesday” have the biggest parades, such as Bacchus, Endymion, Orpheus, and the Zulu Lundi Gras. Next: February 28, 2017
Los Angeles
#4 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
The New Year’s Day tradition is the lead-up to the Rose Bowl football game in Pasadena. Produced by the nonprofit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, and with Honda as a presenting sponsor, the 2016 parade had 44 floats, 19 equestrian units, 20 marching bands, and the theme of “Find Your Adventure.” Several TV networks—including ABC, NBC, HGTV, Univision, and Hallmark Channel—televised the parade, bringing a total U.S. viewership of 41.5 million people, with an estimated 700,000 people attended in person. The 128th edition of the parade will have the theme “Echoes of Success.” Next: January 1, 2017
Houston
#5 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
The largest show of its kind, it attracted about 2.46 million people to the 20-day event in 2016, while an estimated 1.3 million of those guests paid for rodeo or concert attendance. With more than 33,000 volunteers, the event is also a charity that benefits youth, supports education, and facilitates better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentations. New for the event in 2016 was the addition of Veterans Village, an area dedicated to organizations that help current and former military personnel. In addition, 21 acts consisting of mostly country singers performed at the show, including Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Pitbull, and Kid Rock. Banda Los Recoditos and Los Huracanes Del Norte set a concert attendance record for the event, when 75,508 people saw the band perform on March 13. Next: March 7-26, 2017
Washington
#6 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
The festival—which celebrates the anniversary of Tokyo giving cherry blossom trees to the city of Washington, D.C., in 1912—had more than 40 organizations and more than 1 million people participating in the festival’s signature activities this year, which took place at various locations in the city. Those activities included the Pink Tie Party fund-raiser, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the Blossom Kite Festival, the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival, the Sakura Matsuri—Japanese Street Festival, Cherry Blast, and the second annual Anacostia River Festival. During the fifth annual City in Bloom campaign, buildings and transportation hubs were lit in pink to celebrate the festival. Next: March 20-April 16, 2017
Boston
#7 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra performs for a national audience during the city’s Independence Day fireworks display. In 2016, the show also included performances from Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, and Little Big Town. Entertainment Tonight anchor Nancy O'Dell co-hosted the show, which was telecast by CBS. About 500,000 people attend the event every year along the banks of Charles River, and the television audience reached 4.65 million viewers. Next: July 4, 2017
San Francisco
#8 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event
The best-known L.G.B.T. event in the U.S. had particular poignancy this year, since it took place less than two weeks after the deadly shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. A visually striking moment occurred when several parade attendees paid tribute to those slain in the massacre by holding up signs with photos of the murder victims. This year’s theme for the parade was “For Racial and Economic Equality,” although activist organization Black Lives Matter, which had been scheduled to participate, withdrew from the event due to increased police presence. The parade, held on Market Street, had more than 200 contingents. The two-day celebration—attended by an estimated 1.6 million people—also included panel discussions and live entertainment, headlined by Peaches. Next: June 24-25, 2017
New Orleans
#9 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event (up from #10)
An estimated 450,000 people attended the event in 2016, a decrease from nearly 500,000 in the previous year. Essence Festivals and the Solomon Group produce the event, whose main hubs are the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and Mercedez-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. This year, the event added a Beauty & Style Expo that included a presentation from Tyra Banks. It also launched the World Music Superlounge, featuring artists from across the globe including performers Wizkid, Zakes Bantwini, and Skye Wanda. As for the performances at the Superdome, headlining artists included Mariah Carey, Maxwell, and Kendrick Lamar. The festival also offers empowerment seminars, which this year featured speakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Al Sharpton, and Misty Copeland. Next: June 30-July 3, 2017
Boston
#10 Festival, Parade & Holiday Event (new to the list)
The bicycle race, presented by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and New Balance, is the nation's original fund-raising bike-a-thon and one of the biggest athletic-based charities in the U.S., based on money raised. The race, which has cyclists traveling to various locations in Massachusetts, raised $46 million in 2016 and benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Next: August 2017
