What Is The National Cherry Festival?

Northwestern Michigan's 300-plus cherry farms produce about 80 percent of world's tart cherry crop. To celebrate the harvest, Traverse City turns as American as cherry pie for the Fourth of July weekend as the city hosts its 79th National Cherry Festival with over 150 events, including free air shows over the Bay, colorful parades, music shows, sporting events, marching bands, rides on the midway, pie-eating contests, clean blue skies, warm sunshine, crowds of smiling faces, and loads of luscious cherries prepared every way you can imagine!

For the photo staff at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, it is our busiest time and most challenging time of the year. During 8 day summer festival we will cover more than 150 events including air shows, cherry pit spitting contest, car shows, cherry pie eating contests, art and craft shows and much more.