It’s Autumn! You know what that means, pumpkins are in season, root vegetables are ready to be harvested, leaves are falling from the trees and people are planning 2017 events. Event attendees have started scheduling their 2017 travel plans and vacation time off, while event organizers are gearing up for venue signage, promotional bags, scheduled line-up of musical acts and volunteer staff.

Below is a peek at a few of the largest 2017 American made events that can use our Made in America Ragbags.

January 19-29, 2017

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL – Park City, Utah

The annual film festival held in Park City, Utah is the largest independent film festival in the US. Sundance began in August 1978, but now is traditionally held in winter months and attracts over 46,000 people annually.

ROCK N’ ROLL MARATHONS – Multiple Dates & Cities

The Rock n’ Roll Marathon series originated in 1998 in San Diego, CA. Now it is held in cities all over the world. 2017 Marathons and 1/2 Marathons will be held in Arizona, New Orleans, Washington, DC, Dallas, San Francisco, Raleigh, Carlsbad, Nashville, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Virginia Beach & Philadelphia.

Check out the dates for your city

March 10-19, 2017

SXSW – Austin, TX 

Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, South by Southwest (SXSW) is a festival focused on interactive technology, media, film and music. The first event was expecting to see 150 participants, but 700 people showed up. SXSW Music has been touted as the “largest music festival of it’s kind in the world.” In 2014, there were over 2,00 musical acts. The event now has over 84,000 attendees annually.

March 25 – April 15, 2017

NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL – Washington, DC

In West Potomac Park on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda (wife of the Japanese ambassador), planted two trees that were a gift from Japan. This began an annual event that held it’s first official festival in 1927. Today, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has more than 1.5 million people annually. The date of the festival is set around the expect bloom date for the cherry trees. The two original cherry trees still stand today.

April 1, 2107 

COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN – Charleston, SC

The race is the third largest 10K in the US and the fifth largest American road race. This year the Cooper River Bridge Run will be held on April Fool’s Day. The annual 10K race across the Arthur Ravanel Jr. Bridge is the only event in the state of South Carolina sanctioned by USA Track and Field as an elite event. The event normally sees around 34K-40K participants.

April 6-9, 2017

MASTERS TOURNAMENT – Augusta, GA

Since 1934, Augusta National Golf Club has provided America with The Master’s Golf tournament. The Masters is one of the four major professional golf tournaments. Unlike the other tournaments, the Masters is always held in the same location, Augusta, GA. Although the Master’s doesn’t release official attendance, it is estimated to be over 300,000 over the course of a week. Only one person wins the coveted green jacket each year, but attendees get to take home green bags, shirts, cups and hats.

April 28-May 7, 2017

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL – New Orleans, LA

Also known as New Orleans Jazz Festival or simply, Jazz Fest to locals. In 2015, the festival saw as many as 460,000 attendees. Although the festival now attracts about $300 million for the local economy, festival organizers joke that at the first 1970 Jazz Fest, there were more people on stage than in the audience. The festival is know for it’s uniquely New Orleans’ style cajun food and crafts, as well as a diverse line-up of legendary musical acts, like The Who, Ed Sheeran, Alison Krauss, Keith Urban, No Doubt, Pitbull, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lady Gaga and Widespread Panic.

May 5-6, 2017

KENTUCKY DERBY – Louisville, KY

In 2017, Louisville, KY will be holding it’s 143rd annual Kentucky Derby. The Run for the Roses is the first leg of the Triple Crown series of horse races, followed by Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. A horse must win all three races to win the triple crown. Although most attendees enjoy the two minute race, they go for the mint juleps, outrageous hats, Millionaire’s Row and burgoo.

May 13, 2017 

IROQUOIS STEEPLECHASE – Nashville, TN

Since 1941, the Iroquois Steeplchase has been a Tennessee tradition.

It currently attracts more than 25,000 spectators annually to watch some of the world’s best horses and riders in the world while enjoying Tennessee Springtime, mint juleps  and Southern hospitality.

June 8-11, 2017

BONNAROO – Manchester, TN

Bonnaroo started in 2002 as an Arts and Music festival in Manchester, TN. It is now a 4 day festival that sees from 45,000 to 100,000 attendees annually. Bonnaroo encourages green activities, such as recycling while at the festival, food and drink sold in recyclable materials and Planet Roo, where one goes to “heighten their global consciousness.” These eco activities are why in 2011, Bonnaroo won a Greener Festival award. The festival also gives to charities such as Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, Rock the Earth, the American Red Cross and the Sierra Club.

July 28-30, 2017

NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL – Newport, RI

Newport Folk Festival started in the summer of 1959 by George Wein. It continues to impress with acts like Elvis Costello, Alabama Shakes, Flight of the Conchords, Violent Femmes, Norah Jones, Ryan Adams Ray Lamontagne and Middle Brother. This festival also makes an effort to be green-friendly as it partnered with Clean Water Act and donates a portion of proceeds to CWA. Newport Folk Festival expects around 10,000 attendees per day.

July 19-23, 2017

COMIC CON INTERNATIONAL- San Diego, CA

Comic-Con is held annually at the San Diego Convention Center for comic and Science-fiction fans. Comic-Con started on March 21, 1970 as a one-day “minicon” with about 100 attendees, but quickly turned into a 3 day event by August 1-3, 1970.

It now is attended by over 130,000 people annually and has expanded to other cities.

August 2-7, 2017

MAINE LOBSTER FESTIVAL – Rockland, Maine

Tens of thousands of people from all over the world head to Rockland, Maine each year for the annual Maine Lobster Festival. The event is a non-profit run exclusively by volunteers and has given more than $500,000 to Midcoast Maine communities to support local food pantries, high school sports teams, community service groups, local emergency services, and offer college scholarships.

August 21-27, 2017

WASHINGTON STATE KITE FESTIVAL – Long Beach, WA

The Washington State International Kite Festival was started in 1981 with 9 people flying kites. Now it sees thousands of attendees from all over the world. Although the event has seen massive growth in attendance, it still can’t seem to beat the Guiness World Record set the first year. The festival in 1981 set a Guinness record for keeping a kite in the air for 180 hours, the longest time ever recorded.

Oct. 2017 TBA

ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA  – Albuquerque, NM

This festival began humbly in 1972 with 13 balloons taking off from a mall parking lot. The popular event quickly expanded. It has now ballooned to over 600 balloons and over 80,000 people. Although there are several balloon events throughout the year, the main event is still the Balloon Fiesta, which proudly boasts the titles of: Most Photographed Event in the World, Largest Ballooning Event on Earth and The Largest Annual International Event Held in US.

*This is an incomplete list of the noteworthy 2017American events that can use our noteworthy bags. If you are interested in telling us about your upcoming event, contact us at ericg@ragbags.com.