Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
Festival · Food and drink · Family · Music · Traverse City
National Cherry Festival
A week-long July celebration of the region's cherry crop, with concerts, parades, an air show and free family events spread across Traverse City.
The National Cherry Festival grew out of informal blessing of the blossoms ceremonies that Grand Traverse cherry growers held in spring starting around 1910. Traverse City businesses and farmers turned that tradition into a formal festival in 1925, and the Michigan legislature recognized it as a national celebration in 1931. Over the decades it stretched from a few days to a full week, and it now runs in early July.
Today the festival mixes long-running traditions, such as the National Cherry Queen program and the parades, with concerts, an air show, food events and a long list of free family activities. The Open Space serves as the main hub, but events are spread across town, so it is worth checking the official calendar for where each one takes place.
What to expect
The festival program includes free family activities, food events, health and wellness events, concerts, parades and an air show. Many events are held at the Open Space near Union Street and Grandview Parkway, with others spread across the city; the organizer's event calendar lists the location of each one.
Previous dates
- 2026: July 4 to 11, 2026
Location
Where National Cherry Festival happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
About Traverse City
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Beach
Clinch Park
Traverse City's downtown beach on West Grand Traverse Bay, with a splash pad, playground, city marina and the TART trail running through.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Trail
TART Trails
Traverse City's trail network, built around the 10.5-mile paved TART along the bay and linked to the Leelanau Trail, Boardman Lake Loop and VASA Pathway.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
West End Beach
A city beach on West Grand Traverse Bay with sand at the water's edge, a big grassy area, volleyball, grills and picnic tables, right on the TART trail.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Hotel · Budget
Cherry Tree Inn & Suites
On US-31 North along East Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City
A beachfront hotel on East Grand Traverse Bay with studios and suites, many with kitchenettes or full kitchens, plus indoor and outdoor pools.
Resort · Upscale
Delamar Traverse City
On East Front Street, on Grand Traverse Bay near downtown Traverse City
A waterfront resort hotel on Grand Traverse Bay at the edge of downtown Traverse City, with heated pools it lists as open year-round and a bayside restaurant.
Resort
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
In Acme, northeast of Traverse City
A year-round resort in Acme owned by the Grand Traverse Band, with three golf courses, a spa, a tower overlooking the bay and a private beach.
Inn
Old Mission Inn
On Mission Road in Old Mission, on the Old Mission Peninsula
An inn on the Old Mission Peninsula that dates to 1869 and is described as Michigan's oldest historic hotel, with rooms facing East Grand Traverse Bay.
Listed as open seasonally, May 1 through October 31.
Hotel · Mid-range
Park Place Hotel
On East State Street in downtown Traverse City
A downtown Traverse City hotel whose history goes back to 1873, whose 10-story tower became the tallest building in the city when it was finished in 1930.
Bed and breakfast
Antiquities' Wellington Inn
On Wellington Street in downtown Traverse City
A bed and breakfast in a restored 1905 neoclassical mansion built for one of Traverse City's lumber barons, a short walk from downtown.
More events in and around Traverse City
- Bayshore MarathonA Memorial Day weekend marathon, half marathon and 10K in Traverse City on a flat out-and-back course along East Grand Traverse Bay, run by the Traverse City Track Club since 1983.
- Iceman Cometh ChallengeA point-to-point mountain bike race of about 30 miles from Kalkaska to Traverse City on the first Saturday in November, plus shorter beginner and kids races.
- North American Vasa Festival of RacesA two-day February festival of cross-country ski and fat bike races on the Vasa Pathway outside Traverse City, held since 1977.
- Light Up DowntownTraverse City's two-night start to the holidays, with a tree lighting at Cass and Front streets on Friday and an evening light parade down Front Street on Saturday.
- Traverse City Restaurant WeekA late-winter week when participating Traverse City restaurants offer multi-course, fixed-price menus.
- Cadillac Festival of the ArtsThree days of art in downtown Cadillac each July: an art fair in the park, an artisan market, a food fair on Lake Street and free music.