Very Cherry Porch Parade

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 3 to July 10) 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 3rd to July 10th.

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 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 3, 2021 and able to stay up until midnight Saturday, July 10, 2021.
• 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

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

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

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

See It All