Sporting Events

Food & Restaurant Industry Events

Benefits

Political & Press Events

Holiday Events

Fashion & Beauty Events

Parades, Walks & Festivals

Arts & Entertainment Events

Literary & Publishing Industry Events

Trade Shows, Conventions & Meetings   

—Brendan Spiegel

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic Photo: Michael Baz

1. Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Now 40, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic is one of the oldest events on the professional men’s tour. The August 9 to 17 tournament at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park was expected to draw 70,000 fans. The classic is overseen by founder and chairman Donald Dell and director Jeffrey Newman.

2. Preakness Stakes 
More than 112,000 fans—many in elaborate headwear—turned out to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on May 17 for the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes. Big Brown galloped to victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Produced by Pimlico owners Magna Entertainment, the 2009 race is scheduled for May 16.MORE >>

The National Harbor Wine and Food Festival Courtesy of the National Harbor Wine and Food Festival

1. Rammy Awards Gala
More than 1,600 foodies packed theMarriott Wardman Park Hotel for thisJune 29 black-tie event, when the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington named The Source by Wolfgang Puck New Restaurant of the Year and deemed Erin Ziebold of CityZenChef of the Year. Industry insiders got an advance taste at the more intimate 250-person nomination party held at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Kelly Morris of KSM Marketing produces the show, which will return for the 27th time next June.

2. Washington, D.C. International Wine and Food Festival
More than 10,000 food and wine lovers turned out to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center for this February 29 to March 2 event, which featured more than 200 international wineries and food from upscale D.C. restaurants. Sponsored by The Washington Post and produced by Ed Hurley of ResourcePlus Shows and Events, the 10th annual show will take place in early 2009. MORE >>

The Soccer Ball for D.C. Scores at the Organization for American States Photo: Paul Morigi

1. Knock Out Abuse and Fight Night Gala
This November fund-raiser is actually two parties: a cigar-and-boxing-fueled Fight Night, which raised $2.4 million for nonprofit Fight for Children in 2007, and the Knock Out Abuse gala, which raised $650,000 to combat domestic violence. Actor Chris Tucker and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia were among the 2,200 guests at the Washington Hilton and Towers for Fight Night, while a crowd of 750 flocked to the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., for the gala. Everyone then merged for an after-party at the Ritz. Liz Warnecki of Fight for Children coordinates Fight Night, while the gala is produced by Andre Wells. Both parties return on November 6.

2. The Opera Ball 
French ambassador Pierre Vimont’s Kalorama residence played host to the Washington National Opera’s largest annual fund-raising event on June 6. Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff attended the Midsummer Night’s Dream-themed garden party, which featured 4,000 glass votives, five chandeliers hanging from a tree, and 15 lighting displays. Patti Humphrey, special events director for the Washington National Opera, planned the 500-person party. MORE >>

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the Washington Press Club Foundation’s Congressional Dinner Photo: Courtesy of WPCF

1. The State of the Union Address
Each January, the entire government shows up en masse for the president’s annual address at the Capitol. A newly inaugurated president is not expected to deliver an address, but usually gives a speech to a joint session of Congress outlining his administration’s goals.

2. White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner
The president and first lady are roasted by one of the nation’s top comedians each year. Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson took the stage at the Washington Hilton for the April dinner, organized by WHCA executive director Julia Whiston. After-parties included Bloomberg’s fete at theCosta Rican Embassy, and Vanity Fair’s exclusive soiree at Christopher Hitchens’s home. The 2009 dinner will take place in May.

3. Gridiron Club Black-Tie Dinner
Washington’s oldest journalistic organization held its 123rd black-tie dinner on March 8. President Bush entertained the crowd of 600 at the Renaissance Hotelwith a country-and-western musical number, while White House correspondent Helen Thomas delivered a send-up of Condoleezza Rice. MORE >>

The Fashion Fights Poverty runway show Photo: Courtesy of Fashion Fights Poverty

1. Fashion Fights Poverty Runway Show 
The United Nations Association of the National Capital Area partners with PR and event planning firm Style and Image Network for this fund-raiser. The fourth annual event, was held September 25 at the St. Regis hotel, benefiting NEST, which provides loans to women in the third world. Michael Dumlao of the Style and Image Network is the show’s creative director.

2. Nordstrom’s Designer Fall Preview 
This annual fashion and shopping event shows off the latest in American and European clothes from Nordstrom, with the proceeds going to the nonprofit Knock Out Abuse Against Women. The June 17 show, organized by Nordstrom event marketing coordinator Gina McGowan, was held at the National Building Museum. The event raised $60,000 from 500 guests.MORE >>

An exhibit at the Adventures in Travel Expo Photo: Courtesy of Adventures in Travel Expo

1. Washington Auto Show 
More than 700 new vehicles from 42 automakers will be on display at theWalter E. Washington Convention Centerfrom February 4 to 9. Show director Bob Yoffe and producer Gerry Murphy oversee the event, which draws thousands of visitors and is sponsored by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association.

2. NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo 
More than 85,000 people attended this public event on January 13 and 14. It featured free health screenings, as well as activities like yoga and rock climbing. Penny Niemen of Network Events is producing the 16th annual expo, which will run January 10 to 11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. MORE >>

The PEN/Faulkner Awards for Fiction Gala Photo: Kristin Von Kundra

 1. National Book Festival 
The nation’s eighth annual literary festival, coordinated by the Library of Congress and Event Strategies Inc., will be held on the National Mall on September 27. Hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, the 2007 event brought in more than 120,000 literature fans for readings by best-selling authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, David Baldacci, and Jodi Picoult. 

2. Scripps National Spelling Bee 
This once-obscure event now draws a dedicated national following and live coverage on ABC. The five-day contest takes place at the Grand Hyatt Hote in the last week of May. Paige B. Kimble serves at the contest’s director—she also happens to be the 1981 champion—and organizes the event with project manager Carrie Loeffler. MORE >>