January
Tournament of Roses Parade - The New Year's Day parade features marching bands, celebrities and flower-covered floats all making their way down Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard.

Rose Bowl - Also New Year's Day, watch the college football championship where the PAC 10 Champion plays the Big Ten Conference.

Los Tres Reyes is the celebration of the Epiphany (visit of the three Kings). Olvera Street. makes the perfect setting for this free event featuring a colorful procession with music and costumes.

February
Aztec New Year's Celebration - Celebrate a pre-Columbian Aztec New Year with music, dancers, and art workshops, demonstrations and exhibits.

African-American History Month - Each year films, lectures, exhibits and performances across the city mark this observance.

Golden Dragon Parade - Join 50,000 celebrants at a Chinese New Year parade featuring floats, dance troupes, and magical lion and dragon dancers.

March
City of Los Angeles Marathon - Thousands of runners and bicyclists participate in the greatest athletic event in the western United States. However, Los Angeles would never wish to be accused of being boring, so they include more than 25 entertainment sites along the course of the marathon and more than 1,000 cheerleaders to encourage the participants.

Mardi Gras - Olvera Street celebrates "Fat Tuesday," but once again with a different sort of flair featuring Brazilian singing and dancing, a colorful parade, the crowning of Miss Olvera Street and a costume contest.

April
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - A world-class car race through the streets of downtown Long Beach. It is the largest street race in North America. Not only can you go see the race, but you may also have opportunities to watch celebrities watch the race.

California Poppy Festival - This festival celebrates California's State Flower. This festival celebrating California's State Flower offers a wide variety of crafts, fine arts (including an expo), food vendors, a flower market, children's games, carnival rides and other entertainment. Different musical groups perform each year.

May
Cinco de Mayo - This May 5 celebration marks Mexico's victory over the French at the Battle of the Puebla (1862). The celebration features popular and traditional music, cultural presentations, festival, dance, food and live entertainment.

Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest - This music festival features old-time and bluegrass music and has been an annual event since 1961. More than 100 banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar players and bands show up each year. The festival features contests, participative dances, folk song workshops and children's crafts and songs.

June
Great American Irish Fair & Music Festival - This is the largest American-Irish event in the Western United States and is a celebration of everything Irish from music to art to food - plunge yourself into the culture.

Mariachi - USA Festival (Hollywood) - This event is sponsored by the Mariachi USA Foundation whose mission is to provide money to schools to promote music and heritage. This is a celebration of family, culture and tradition with Mariachi music, Ballet Folklorico, special guest performances and a breathtaking fireworks finale.

July
July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular - Family, food, and fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl - it's the greatest July 4th tradition in all of Southern California.

Shakespeare Festival/LA - This annual festival features plays by the famous Bard and is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. They help support Shakespeare Festival/LA in making live theater freely open to communities that may not have had the opportunity to experience it before.

August
E Hula Mau - Southern California's Annual Hula & Chant Competition - The Young Hawaiians of Southern California present this competition featuring arts, crafts, food and lots of music and dance. Audiences can experience the kinetic poetry that is hula, and watch other events such as the E Hula Mau Kanikapila Jam which features live entertainment, a hula show and local snacks.

International Surf Festival hits the waves of Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo Beaches in August. The competitions feature everything from surfing to lifeguarding, swimming to volleyball, and fishing to building sand castles.

September
Los Angeles County Fair - The fair held in Pomona is the largest county fair in the world, with music, sideshows, rides and other country-style delights. An amazing range of concerts, exhibits, competitions and other entertainment abounds as LA once again strives to show itself as the biggest entertainer in any category.

October
Oktoberfest - This German celebration has been imported to California in typically grandiose style with a 3,000-seat beer garden, a Bavarian brass-oom pa pa band from Germany, German dancers, and lots of competitions for best beerstein holding, woodsawing, cowmilking, yodeling, pretzel eating, etc. And of course, lots and lots of beer!

Queen Mary Shipwreck Halloween Terrorfest - The oceanliner Queen Mary is transformed into a gruesome collection of terrifying mazes for the annual Queen Mary Halloween Terrorfest. For a break from the Terror Fest though, the ship also features a three-level dance party and a club located in a converted boiler room. The perfect mix of fun and freakiness.

November
AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival - The American Film Institute presents this event featuring more than 100 international films. This 10-day event is the longest-running film festival in Los Angeles and one of the most influential in North America. The films "Monster"; "House of Sand and Fog"; "Osama"; "Talk to Her"; "City of God"; "Dark Water": "Nowhere in Africa"; "The Quiet American"; "No Man's Land"; "Monster's Ball"; "Life is Beautiful"; "The Cider House Rules"; "Before Night Falls"; "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; and "Amores Perros" have all premiered at AFI FEST.

Loscon - This is the annual regional science fiction convention held by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. The society, founded in 1934, is the world's oldest continuously active science-fiction and fantasy club.

December
Queen Mary Tree Lighting - Join the Mayor of Long Beach at the Queen Mary's annual tree lighting ceremony. The program will also feature holiday entertainment, a holiday sing-a-long and refreshments.

Hollywood Christmas Parade - As can only be expected, movie and TV stars join Santa in a typically flashy parade. The parade offers a seamless flow of prominent bands, impressive equestrian units, floats and classic cars.

Las Posadas - If you are looking for something a little quieter, try the candle-lit processions that relive Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and honor the Christ child.

Sources:
(http://www.los-angeles-travel-services.com/)

(http://www.lonelyplanet.com)