Oldest, Biggest and Still the Champion: The National Cherry Festival. Traverse City is still proud to be America’s Cherry Capital. It celebrates that heritage every year during the first week of July with an eight-day party featuring over 150 family activities: air shows(with the US Navy Blue Angels for 2010), fireworks, parades (including the nation’s largest all-children parade) games, races, midway rides, demonstrations, nightly outdoor concerts and lots of chances to taste delicious cherry products. Now in its 84th year, the Cherry Festival is Traverse City’s signature event, drawing as many as 500,000 attendees from around the country. Everything is located conveniently within walking distance, and since almost all the events are free, it offers more than a week of affordable family fun.