With most industries steadily getting back on track after the struggles of the recession, the city’s event calendar is once again packed year‐round. Oversize happenings like Fashion Week, Comic Con, and the Auto Show are now bigger than ever, but the city is also home to upstart events celebrating everything from blogs and social media to handcrafted cocktails. These are the 100 events that make the biggest impact year after year—plus a few to keep an eye on.
Fashion Industry Events
1. Fashion Week is estimated to pour more than $200 million into the city’s economy during each of the semi‐annual shows. February 9‐16 and September 13‐20.
2. Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Awards, a $10,000‐a‐seat black‐tie gala hosted by Anderson Cooper in 2011, is a must‐attend event for industry bigwigs. June 4.
3. Up From 4: Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars Benefit is widely watched by the fashionconscious, both for the awards given out, and to see what celebrities, designers, and editors wear on the red carpet. October.
4. Fashion’s Night Out may have lost some of the industry buzz it elicited upon launching in 2009, but it has grown into a consumer behemoth with versions in 250 cities. September.
5. New to the List: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which debuted in New York in 1995, has gone through many iterations over the years. In 1999, an Internet broadcast hyped during the Super Bowl brought unprecedented attention; in 2001, it was aired on TV for the first time. After two years in L.A. and one in Miami, the show returned to the 69th Regiment Armory in 2009, where it has since settled on a fashion‐and‐rock format that included Kanye West and Maroon 5 in 2011. November.
6. Whitney Art Party celebrated the groundbreaking on the museum’s new meatpacking district home with a stylish party that brought out everyone from designer Jason Wu to basketball star Amar’e Stoudemire. Spring
7. Accessories Council ACE Awards honored Nicole Richie as Influencer of the Year and Phillip Tracey as Designer of the Year at the 15th annual gala in 2011. November.