National Cherry Festival

The National Cherry Festival has been one of the annual highlights in the Traverse City area and has been named in USA Today's "Top Ten Festivals" for several years running! The Grand Traverse region is known for its world-record tart cherry harvest and The National Cherry Festival celebrates just that! Nearly 500,000 eager visitors make their way to the area each year to savor the flavor of cherries tucked into everything imaginable. Throughout the eight-day celebration, festival goers find an array of cherry delights along with parades, family and kids events, and entertainment. In all, there are more than 150 events (most of which are free!) along the shores of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay.