Top U.S. Festivals and Events

Northwest

Alaska

1. Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Anchorage to Nome

2. Golden Days, Fairbanks

3. Fur Rendezvous, Anchorage

Washington

1. Lilac Festival, Spokane

2. Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival, Port Angeles

3. Northwest Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in, Arlington

Oregon

1. Portland Rose Festival, Portland

2. Shakespeare Festival, Ashland

3. Newport Seafood and Wine Festival, Newport

Idaho

1. Idaho International Summerfest, Rexburg

2. River Festival, Boise

3. National Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest, Weiser

Montana

1. Custer’s Last Stand Reenactment, Hardin

2. National Folk Festival, Butte

3. Lewis & Clark Festival, Great Falls


Mid-Pacific

California

1. Academy Awards, Los Angeles

2. San Diego Comic-Con, San Diego

3. Gold Rush Days, Sacramento

Hawaii

1. Ironman World Triathlon Championship, Kailua-Kona

2. Aloha Festival Floral Parade, Waikiki

3. Merrie Monarch Festival, Hilo


Rocky Mountains

Colorado

1. National Western Stock Show, Denver

2. Colorado Springs Balloon Classic, Colorado Springs

3. Donkey Derby Days, Cripple Creek

Cody Rodeo
Cody Rodeo

Wyoming

1. Frontier Days, Cheyenne

2. Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede Rodeo, Cody

3. Plains Indian Museum Powwow, Cody

This Is the Place Heritage Park
This Is the Place Heritage Park, Salt Lake City

Utah

1. Days of ‘47 Pioneer Celebration, Salt Lake City

2. Sundance Film Festival, Park City

3. Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant, Manti

Nevada

1. Burning Man, Black Rock Desert

2. Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas

3. International Air Races, Reno


Southwest

Arizona

1. La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, Tucson

2. All Souls Procession, Tucson

3. Bisbee 1000 The Great Stair Climb, Bisbee

New Mexico

1. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque

2. Gathering of Nations Powwow, Albuquerque

3. Rio Rancho’s Port and Brew BBQ State Championship, Rio Rancho

Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Texas

1. SXSW (South by Southwest), Austin

2. State Fair of Texas, Dallas

3. Austin City Limits Festival, Austin

4. Fiesta San Antonio, San Antonio

5. Texas Outdoor Musical, Palo Duro Canyon

Oklahoma

1. Festival of the Arts, Oklahoma City

2. Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival, Oklahoma City

3. Will Rogers Days, Claremore


Great Plains

North Dakota

1. Medora Musical, Medora

2. Norsk Hostfest, Minot

3. United Tribes International Powwow, Bismarck

Deadwood
Deadwood

South Dakota

1. Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival, Custer

2. Black Hills & Northern Plains Indian PowWow & Arts Expo, Rapid City

3. Wild Bill Days, Deadwood

4. Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis

5. Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant, De Smet

Nebraska

1. NEBRASKAland Days, North Platte

2. Crane Fest/Crane Watch, Kearney

3. Arbor Day Festival, Nebraska City

Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Kansas
A gunfight reenactment at Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, Kansas

Kansas

1. Dodge City Days, Dodge City

2. Riverfest, Wichita

3. Amelia Earhart Festival, Atchison

Iowa

1. Iowa State Fair, Des Moines

2. Tulip Festival, Pella

3. Old Settlers & Threshers Reunion, Mt. Pleasant

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Statue
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Statue, Hannibal

Missouri

1. National Tom Sawyer Days, Hannibal

2. Ozark Mountain Christmas, Branson

3. Veiled Prophet Fair, Saint Louis


Great Lakes

National Blueberry Festival, Downtown South Haven
National Blueberry Festival, Downtown South Haven

Michigan

1. Holland Tulip Time Festival, (Michigan Riviera) Holland

2. National Cherry Festival, Traverse City

3. Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit

4. Coast Guard Festival, (Michigan Riviera) Grand Haven

5. Tall Ship Celebration, Bay City

6. Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, Mackinac Island

7. National Blueberry Festival, (Michigan Riviera) South Haven

8. Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival

9. Oktoberfest, Frankenmuth

10. Blossomtime Festival, (Michigan Riviera) Saint Joseph

11. Electric Forest Festival, Rothbury

12. Ship and Shore Festival, (Michigan Riviera) New Buffalo

Wisconsin

1. Summerfest, Milwaukee

2. Oshkosh Fly-In, Oshkosh

3. Cranberry Festival, Warrens

Minnesota

1. Winter Carnival, Saint Paul

2. Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival, Moorhead

3. Aquatennial Minneapolis

Old State Capitol
Old State Capitol, Springfield, Illinois

Illinois

1. Taste of Chicago, Chicago

2. Lollapalooza, Chicago

3. Lincolnfest, (Land of Lincoln) Springfield

Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Bridgeton Mill, Parke County, Indiana
Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Bridgeton Mill, Parke County, Indiana

Indiana

1. Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis

2. Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival, Nappanee

3. Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, Parke County (county seat: Rockville)

4. Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, Lafayette

5. Circus City Festival, Peru

6. Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Auburn

7. Marshall County Blueberry Festival, Plymouth

8. Shipshewana Quilt Festival, Shipshewana

9. Amish Country of Northern Indiana Quilt Garden Tours, Elkhart

10. Johnny Appleseed Festival, Fort Wayne

11. Persimmon Festival, Mitchell

12. Valparaiso Popcorn Festival, Valparaiso

Ohio

1. Irish Festival, Dublin

2. Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, Canton

3. Riverfest, Cincinnati

4. Paw Paw Festival, Albany

5. Marion Popcorn Festival, Marion


Northeast

Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland
Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland
Schooner Timberwind, Penobscot Bay
Schooner Timberwind, Penobscot Bay

Maine

1. Maine Lobster Festival, Rockland

2. Windjammer Days, Boothbay Harbor

3. Clam Festival, Yarmouth

New Hampshire

1. New Hampshire Highland Games, Lincoln

2. Seafood Festival, Hampton Beach

3. Annual Craftsmen’s Fair, Newburry

Vermont

1. Fall Foliage Festivals, Vermont

2. Vermont Maple Festival, St. Albans

3. Vermont Quilt Festival, Northfield

Massachusetts

1. Boston Marathon, Boston

2. Salem Haunted Happenings, Salem

3. Eastern States Exposition (The Big E), West Springfield

4. America’s Hometown Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Plymouth

5. Boston Harborfest, Boston

6. Cape Cod Scallop Festival, Falmouth

7. Working Waterfront Festival, New Bedford

8. Provincetown Portuguese Festival, Provincetown

Rhode Island

1. Newport Folk Festival, Newport

2. Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, Providence

3. Seafood Festival, Charlestown

Connecticut

1. Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival, Norwalk

2. International Festival of Arts & Ideas, New Haven

3. Christmas at Mystic Seaport, Mystic

New York

1. New Year’s Eve at Times Square, New York City

2. The Village Halloween Parade, New York City

3. St. Patrick’s Day Parade, New York City

4. NYC Wine and Food Festival, New York City

5. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York City

6. Festival of Lights Niagara Falls, NY & ON

7. Finger Lakes Wine Festival, Watkins Glen

8. Harborfest, Oswego

9. Lilac Festival, Rochester

10. GlassFest, Corning

11. Adirondack Balloon Festival, Glens Falls

12. Albany Tulip Festival, Albany

13. Annual Oyster Festival, Long Island

14. National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Induction Weekend, Cooperstown

15. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, Croton-on-Hudson


Mid-Atlantic

Pennsylvania

1. Flower and Garden Show, Philadelphia

2. Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney

3. Civil War Heritage Days, Gettysburg

4. Mummers Parade, Philadelphia

5. A Chihuly Garden of Glass, Pittsburgh

New Jersey

1. Air Show, Atlantic City

2. Miss America Pageant, Atlantic City

3. New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, Readington

Delaware

1. Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddlers’ Festival, Rehoboth Beach

2. World Championship Punkin Chunkin, Bridgeville

3. Apple Scrapple Festival, Bridgeville

Maryland

1. National Hard Crab Derby, Crisfield

2. U.S. Oyster Festival, St. Mary’s County

3. Preakness Race Festival, Baltimore

Cherry trees at the Tidal Basin
Cherry trees at the Tidal Basin

Washington DC

1. Presidential Inauguration Day, Washington DC

2. National Independence Day Celebration, Washington DC

3. National Christmas Tree Lighting, Washington DC

4. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC

5. Festival of American Folklife, Washington DC

Virginia

1. International Tattoo, Norfolk

2. Highland Festival, Abingdon

3. Grand Illumination, Colonial Williamsburg

West Virginia

1. Hinton Railroad Days, Hinton

2. New River Gorge Bridge Day, Fayetteville

3. Festival of Lights, Wheeling


South Central

Kentucky

1. Kentucky Derby, Louisville

2. Bourbon Festival, Bardstown

3. American Quilters Society National Quilt Show, Paducah

Tennessee

1. Country Music Association Music Festival, Nashville

2. Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis

3. Elvis International Tribute Week, Memphis

Arkansas

1. Riverfest Arkansas, Little Rock

2. Ozark Folk Festival, Eureka Springs

3. Magnolia Blossom Festival & World Championship Steak Cook-Off, Magnolia

New Orleans jazz
French Quarter Festival, New Orleans

Louisiana

1. Mardi Gras, New Orleans

2. French Quarter Festival, New Orleans

3. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Longwood, Natchez
Longwood, Natchez

Mississippi

1. Natchez Spring Pilgrimage, Natchez

2. Cruisin’ the Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast

3. Biloxi Seafood Festival, Biloxi

Alabama

1. America’s Original Mardi Gras, Mobile

2. Talladega 500 Stock Car Race, Talladega

3. Galaxy of Lights, Huntsville

4. Shrimp Festival, Gulf Shores

5. Peanut Festival, Dothan

6. Helen Keller Festival, Tuscumbia

7. Incident at Looney’s Tavern, Double Springs

8. Bridge Crossing, Selma


Southeast

North Carolina

1. Christmas at Biltmore Estate, Asheville

2. North Carolina Azalea Festival, Wilmington

3. Hang Gliding Spectacular, Nags Head

4. North Carolina Seafood Festival, Morehead

5. Roaring 20s at Biltmore Estates, Asheville

South Carolina

1. Festival of Flowers, Greenwood

2. Gullah Festival, Beaufort

3. Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston

Georgia

1. Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon

2. Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain

3. Annual Labor Day Weekend Catfish Festival, Kingsland

Florida

1. Daytona 500, Daytona Beach

2. Calle Ocho Festival, Miami

3. Gasparilla Pirate Festival, Tampa