The Most Anticipated Sneaker Events of 2014

Written by Kevin Smith (@officialkls)

This year has a ton in store for sneakerheads. Besides the opportunity to cop the hot shoes releasing in 2014, there are a bunch of events for the community to look forward to this year. Everything from expos to conferences will be happening across the country and these events are great because they let you buy, sell, trade, and talk sneakers with a ton of like-minded individuals. So, mark your calendars because here are The Most Anticipated Sneaker Events of 2014.

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Locations: New York City, Las Vegas
Dates: January 22-23 (NYC), February 17-19 (Las Vegas)

Agenda isn't just limited to sneakers. As a trade show for the entire street wear community, you'll run into your favorite independent brands. Although you'll need to be an industry insider to get in, it's definitely the place to see what trends are emerging at the market.

Location: New Jersey; Philadelphia; New York City; Miami Beach
Dates: January 25 (NJ), February 2 (Philadelphia), March 22 (NYC), April 19 (Miami Beach)

SoleXChange is a series of events that kicks off in Freehold, NJ. The event brings together thousands of enthusiasts for a day of buying, selling, trading, and browsing. Each show raffles off different prizes including Nike Air Yeezy 2s, a $5,000 Diamond Rolex, cash money, and more.

Location: Queens, New York
Date: February 16

February's edition of SoleCon will be Valentine's Day-themed. The event brings together sneakerheads in New York City and its neighboring boroughs. The event is perfect for collectors, browsers, and enthusiasts. Because this year's event falls on Valentine's Day, weekend the hosts, SoleChaseHers, encourages you to bring your significant other because there's going to be a battle for the best sneakerhead couple.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.
Date: February 15 (New Orleans), April 5 (D.C.)

Sneaker Con is the sneaker community's premier event for collectors and connoisseurs. Attendees can buy, sell, and trade some of the best and rarest kicks around. Houston's event just took place, but there will be events lined up to take place in New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Date: February 16

The All-Star Sneaker Summit is a prequel to the H-Town Sneaker summit. Organized by the same group, this summit will be taking place in New Orleans during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The one day only event brings together people from all walks of life who have one interest in common: sneakers. Attendees can buy, sell, trade, browse, and discuss rare, vintage, and collectible sneakers.

Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Date: April 19, 2014

The Baltimore Sneaker Show celebrates sneaker culture in and around the Mid-Atlantic region. Last year's show featured a live meet-and-greet and performance from MMG artist Stalley. The Baltimore Show is a great place to buy, sell, and trade sneakers so it's best to bring your freshest kicks with you. There are a ton of vendors and, last year, there was an 8-man sneaker collection contest that paid out $500 to the winner.

Location: Long Island, New York
Date: April 26, 2014

The Ultimate Sneaker Expo is back again for 2014. Located 25 miles away from New York City, the expo sees 3,000+ attendees with 200+ vendors. It's Long Island's largest sneaker show and attendees can expect all-day giveaways from the show's sponsors, which include Def Jam and the New York Knicks. Co-founder of the expo DJ Clark Kent will also play host.

Location: New York
Date: June 2014

This year will mark the launch of Sole Selectah's Sole Summit. Although an official announcement will be due out in March, this event will focus on the educational side of the sneaker culture with seminars, workshops and guest speakers from the all aspects of the industry.

Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Date: TBD (Summer 2014)

Cleveland's Got Sole separates itself from the pack by combining a charity fundraiser with a traditional sneaker expo. Collectors, buyers, and sellers all meet up to talk kicks and raise money for a specific charity. Of course there are raffles and prize giveaways for the attendees, too. 

Location: Houston, Texas
Date: July 27

The H-Town Sneaker Summit is Houston's premier sneaker event. The event started back in 2004 at a Houston sports bar, but it has since evolved into a full fledged event hosting thousands. Bringing together sneaker collectors under one roof, enthusiasts can buy, trade, chat, and browse some of the rarest and hottest kicks around.

Location: Washington, D.C.
Date: September 9

Sneaker Ball XI is the first of its kind. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the event is a black tie and sneakers gala that celebrates the best of sports in the Washington, D.C. Benefiting the Special Olympics and the Greater Washington Sports alliance foundation, the goal of the event is for attendees to donate to emerging nonprofits that use sports to enhance children's lives.

Location: Various
Date: TBD

LuvMyKicks' Shoepo and Shoedrive events is coming to Tampa, Fla. Besides being a way to sell, collect, and see the newest and rarest kick's, the Tampa Shoe Drives also adds a charitable portion to its exhibition. Attendees are encouraged to donate old shoes that they don't wear anymore as a way to help out the less fortunate. Look for more events like this to be held across the country.

Location: London, UK
Date: TBD

Crepe City is the UK's premier sneaker festival. Last year's event featured over 100 tables of rare and exclusive sneakers alongside an all day bar, giveaways, DJs, and even tattooing stations. Crepe City isn't as much a sneaker expo as it is a festival filled with fun, music, conversation, and, of course, kicks.

Location: Various
Date: TBD

Sneaker Pimps is one of the biggest sneaker events of the year. The tour makes multiple stops across the world and usually features at least 1,500 pairs of rare, limited edition, vintage, celebrity signed, and artists collaborated sneakers. It wouldn't be a Sneaker Pimps event without a celebrity performance either. Past performers have included, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface Killah, Waka Flocka, A$AP Rocky, and tons more.