National Cherry Festival
| National Cherry Festival | |
|---|---|
National Cherry Festival parade on East Front Street in 2012 | |
| Begins | June 28, 2025 |
| Ends | July 5, 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Open Space Park Downtown Traverse City |
| Location(s) | Traverse City, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 44°45′56″N 85°37′25″W / 44.76556°N 85.62361°W |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 1925–1941, 1948–2019, 2021–present |
| Inaugurated | May 22, 1925 |
| Attendance | >500,000 |
| Website | www |
The National Cherry Festival is a food festival held annually in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. The eight-day festival celebrates cherry production in the Grand Traverse Bay region surrounding Traverse City, which is nicknamed the "Cherry Capital of the World".
The festival was inaugurated in 1925 as the "Blessing of the Blossoms Festival". Since being renamed to the National Cherry Festival by the Michigan Legislature in 1931, the festival has been held nearly every year since, with cancellations from 1942 to 1947 and in 2020.
The festival also has a marching band, known as the Second Time Arounders that the public can join as long as they know a marching band instrument. The band has five rehearsals, and three performance days, that usually happen late June and early July. The festival also hosts a number of concerts at Open Space Park.
The National Cherry Festival provides many activities, one of the larger attractions being the air show. At no cost, the air show includes, but is not limited to the United States Navy Blue Angels, A-10C Thunderbolt II Demo Team, the US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, and the Michigan Army National Guard. The United States Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City also offers an opportunity to meet the pilots and see the aircraft that are flown. To listen to the air show and the announcers live, listen to the 107.5 WCCW radio station where it is broadcast live.
The National Cherry Festival gives awards to a variety of people based on their contributions to the cherry industry, called Very Cherry Awards. The Cherry Industry Person/Couple Award recognizes those who've made substantial contributions to the cherry industry through leadership. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those who have spent many years in the cherry farming industry and related fields. The Very Cherry Promotion Award recognizes businesses and individuals who heavily promote the cherry industry as a whole.