Home > Parades > Very Cherry Porch Parade

Very Cherry Porch Parade

Map.

What is the Very Cherry Porch Parade?

The National Cherry Festival has always been about generations of fun and that little red fruit that means so much to us. Even though we had to postpone the festival and its events, we are still looking for ways to celebrate the people, the region and the cherry. During what would have been the National Cherry Festival Week (July 4 to July 11) we are asking the members of the community to celebrate with us by decorating their porch, yard or window to bring a smile to your friends and neighbors. The theme of the porch parade is Cherries!

The Very Cherry Porch Parade will take place from July 4th to July 11th.

Step 1: Register your display!

Registration is FREE!
You will be added to our VERY Cherry Porch Parade Map.
As a special thank you, at least the first 100 Porches in the Traverse City Area that register will receive a FREE Very Cherry Porch Parade lawn sign (if you’d like to sponsor a sign, please click here) that will magically appear in your lawn, no need to touch it or interact with anyone.
The more registered Porches in your neighborhood, the better your chances are for having the National Cherry Festival VIP Procession to come by, so get your neighbors involved too!

Step 2: Decorate Your Porch (Window, Yard, Sidewalk)

Choose one of our ideas as inspiration, or go wild with your own. The point of decorating is to unleash your creativity and celebrate cherries and generations of fun. #cherriesatnight #juniorcherries #CherryRoyale
Porches must be fully decorated by 12 noon on Saturday, July 4, 2020 and able to stay up until midnight Saturday, July 11, 2020.
Porches must be appropriate for a family friendly audience.
Don’t have a porch? No problem! Feel free to decorate your lawn, the sidewalk, a window, or something else visible from the street or sidewalk.

Step 3: Explore, Celebrate, Share

Check the Porch Parade Map often to see how the celebration is growing!
Go for a walk around your neighborhood, take pictures of the Porches you find, and tag us on social to help share the joy! @cherryfestival #cherryporchparade #paradinginplace
The more people who take part, the more celebration there is to share, so get your friends and neighbors involved!

Rules & Regulations:

Displays must be fully decorated by 12 noon on Saturday, July 4, and be able to stay up until Saturday, July 11, and must be appropriate for a family audience.
Displays should not focus on religious, political, ideological, or controversial themes or issues. Use of any political sign, social or political material is not permitted.
Displays are not a place for commercial marketing. Businesses are welcomed and encouraged to participate with a focus on the mission of bringing our community together while social distancing.
The Festival Foundation dba National Cherry Festival reserves the right to exclude any displays that do not meet our guidelines or that feature content not aligned with our mission.
Registrations are limited to one per household, per location.
Registration for the Very Cherry Porch Parade and/or tagging @cherryfestival or using #cherryporchparade #verycherryporchparade #cherriesatnight #juniorcherries #CherryRoyal with related photos or videos on social media, grants The Festival Foundation permission to use your images and footage on any platform.

Get Involved

Register Your Porch

Get Decorating

The sky's the limit! Think of how you decorate for other holidays, or what brings you joy when you see it walking around your neighborhood. There's no right or wrong way to decorate for the Porch Parade, as long as you're being inclusive and joyful. If you need a little help getting inspired, try one of these concepts:

#CherryRoyal

Celebrate Cherries and go all out with the cherry décor you may have in your home or yard.

#JuniorCherries

Where kids rule the design. Get the whole family involved and put that youthful energy to work making your porch look AMAZING.

#CherriesAtNight

Light it up! Bring out the Christmas Lights, Glow Sticks and more to Celebrate Cherries at Night.

See It All

See the Displays

Get some exercise and some inspiration - walk around your neighborhood and see who else is taking part in the Porch Parade. Porches will be fully decorated from July 4 to July 11.

As you explore, remember to take pictures and tag @cherryfestival and use #cherryporchparade #paradinginplace #cherriesatnight #juniorcherries #CherryRoyal on social media so that people who aren't in your neighborhood can see the amazing displays too!

If it's rainy or there's no other displays in your neighborhood, don't worry, just follow @cherryfestival on Instagram and check out #cherryporchparade #paradinginplace #cherriesatnight #juniorcherries #CherryRoyal

Watch the National Cherry Festival VIP Procession

Sit back, relax on your beautifully decorated porch, and let the National Cherry Festival VIP Procession come to you!

On a date during what would have been National Cherry Festival week and some very special guests will visit select Porch Parade neighborhoods in their cars to say thank you for taking part in this inspiring community event. Date to be announced soon!

We will choose a route based on the locations of our registered porches, and will do our best to include as many as possible. The more registered porches, the more likely that the National Cherry Festival VIP Procession will come through your neighborhood. So get your neighbors involved, and make sure everyone's registered!

We will let you know if your area is selected before the procession comes through!