National Cherry Festival

National Cherry Festival
National Cherry Festival parade on East Front Street in 2012
BeginsJune 29, 2024
EndsJuly 6, 2024
FrequencyAnnual
VenueOpen Space Park
Downtown Traverse City
Location(s)Traverse City, Michigan
Coordinates44°45′56″N 85°37′25″W / 44.76556°N 85.62361°W / 44.76556; -85.62361
Country United States
Years active1925–1941, 1948–2019, 2021–present
InauguratedMay 22, 1925; 99 years ago (1925-05-22)
Attendance>500,000
Websitewww.cherryfestival.org
Tart (left) and sweet (right) cherries grown in Acme Township, just east of Traverse City.
The Blue Angels performing over West Grand Traverse Bay in 2010. Each festival features an air show, rotating each year between the Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds.

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".[1]

The festival was inaugurated in 1925 as the "Blessing of the Blossoms Festival".[2] 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.

  1. ^ "History of Cherries". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Festival History". www.cherryfestival.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.