The National Cherry Festival is expected to draw an estimated 500,000 visitors to Traverse City over its eight-day run.
While the concerts and events are big draws for many visitors, what is it that really brings people to the Cherry Capital?
First-time festival-goers from across the country shared what convinces them to make the trip to Traverse City.
Cecilia Hong and Sean Lee are from Clawson in Oakland County near Detroit. The pair came up to Traverse City with a large group of friends and made a stop at the Cherry Festival.
Lee said the biggest draw for him was how big the festival seemed to be and the widespread renown of the “National Cherry Festival” name.
Hong has visited Traverse City before, but was excited to see how the city transforms itself for the festival.
“It’s nice to just be close to the water,” Hong said. “(In) Northern Michigan, I feel like you rarely see crowds of people. Obviously, in the hot, touristy, beach towns, you will see crowds, but we haven’t been to a big event like this.”
Molly and Carl Pierce are cousins from Toledo, Ohio and Ann Arbor. The two ran into each other at the festival after attending a family wedding nearby.
Molly said the Cherry Festival is such a unique event, she had to see it at least once. She was also intrigued by the reason for the festival, asking herself, “How do you have a whole festival for one fruit?”
Molly said she has learned that the weeklong event was about much more than just cherries.
“Honestly, I’ll be back,” she said. “I think it’s beautiful. It’s so well-put-together. The people are so kind.”
After a few hours at the festival, Molly said she understood why people travel to Traverse City every year.
“(The festival) being local and bringing a city like this together for such an exciting time, I think that’s a huge draw,” she said. “A town like this, this is their big thing for the whole year. And like they feel as excited and as happy to be here and welcoming all these tourists from all over the world.”
Carl said that good old-fashioned marketing is what brought him to check out the festival this year.
“(The) advertising all throughout Traverse City looked amazing for it,” he said. “You know, pamphlets throughout just little shops we picked up, and we’re able to see what events are going on. And we just (got) curious what we could see before we had to head home.”
Taylor Schultz, from St. Paul, Minnesota, was enjoying a cup of cherries by the Duncan L. Clinch Marina as festival-goers explored the tents in nearby Open Space Park.
Schultz said that he is working at the Interlochen Arts Camp for the summer. When he heard about the Cherry Festival, he thought he’d stop by.
He said he wanted to try the cherry pie and explore what the festival had to offer. If he works at the arts camp next summer, he said he will “definitely” be back.
“I like these sort of small-town fairs where you just have some random theme like this,” Schultz said. “And I think people want that sort of community — to have some sort of event — no matter what it’s for.”
