New York's Top 100 Events 2018 - Parades, Festivals & Holiday Events

#1 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
More than 3.5 million people came out to witness the 2017 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, in addition to the 24 million people who watched on television. New balloons last year included characters from Frozen and Paw Patrol. Next: November 22, 2018

#2 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
Two million spectators braved single-digit temperatures to ring in 2018 in Times Square. The event, viewed live by roughly one billion people around the world, included performances from Sugarland, Nick Jonas, Neil Diamond, and, in a redeeming performance, Mariah Carey. With the exception of two years during World War II, the ball has dropped on New Year’s Eve in Times Square since 1907. Next: December 31, 2018

#3 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
Throughout June, N.Y.C. Pride host more than 16 events celebrating the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Festivities include Pride Island, a two-day music event; film screenings OutCinema and Family Movie Night; and the March, a parade that included more than 110 floats and 450 marching contingents in 2017. Next: June 15-24, 2018

#4 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event (new to the list)
Each year since 1976, New York has celebrated Independence Day with the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks. The explosives launch from five barges in the East River, drawing three million spectators. The 2017 event was broadcast live on NBC and included 21 new displays, as well as performances by Jennifer Lopez, Brad Paisley, and Sheryl Crow. Next: July 4, 2018

#5 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
The West Indian American Day Carnival Association hosts the New York Caribbean Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture at the Brooklyn Museum grounds. The festival’s tent-pole event is its parade, which drew more than 1.5 million people along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Labor Day. In total, three million people attend the carnival over four days. Next: August 30-September 3, 2018

#6 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
This year marks the 61st edition of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, which marches up Fifth Avenue annually on the second Sunday in June. The event promotes awareness and appreciation of Puerto Rican culture and the Puerto Rican contribution to the United States. Last year’s parade sparked controversy due to its inclusion of Oscar López Rivera, who served 35 years in prison for his involvement in a militant group that committed acts of violence in the name of Puerto Rican independence. Still, as many as three million people attend each year to see the floats and performances. Next: June 10, 2018

#7 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
The holiday season in New York City unofficially kicks off with the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting. Mayor Bill de Blasio participated in the 2017 ceremony, which featured performances from Gwen Stefani, Train, Seal, and Leslie Odom Jr. The event is broadcast live on NBC. Next: November 2018

#8 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
Fifth Avenue becomes a sea of green as the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade makes its way from 44th Street to 79th Street each year. The celebration of Ireland’s patron saint includes 150,000 marchers and draws upwards of two million spectators. This year, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, a champion of Irish-American culture, will serve as grand marshal. Next: March 17, 2018

#9 Parades, Festivals & Holiday Event
Science hits the streets during the World Science Festival, which creates live and digital content to encourage a broad audience to celebrate science. Now in its 11th year, the event has seen such success that its host organization, the World Science Foundation, launched the World Science Festival Brisbane in 2016. Personalities featured include luminaries in a variety of fields, including science, medicine, arts, and entertainment. Next: May 29-June 3, 2018