National Cherry Festival
Fresh-picked cherries in northern Michigan.
If you're sweet on cherries, northern Michigan is the place to be. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan is one of the top four cherry producers in the United States. When July rolls around in Traverse City, people start flocking to this cherry producing region on Michigan's northwest shore. The National Cherry Festival got its start in 1910, when several cherry farmers in the area solicited the aid of a priest in blessing the crop. The blessings continued every year, and in 1925, the "Blessing of the Blossom Festival" was born. The National Cherry Festival brings in over 26 million international visitors per year.
The National Cherry Festival
250 E. Front St.
Suite 301
Traverse City, MI 49684
(800) 968-3380
cherryfestival.org
Detroit International Jazz Festival
The great Sonny Rollins jamming on the sax at the 1989 Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival.
Billed as America's biggest free jazz festival, downtown Detroit has seen many of the great legends in jazz pass through, and new talent is nurtured and encouraged as well. The Jazz Talk Tent is the place to be to hear stories from the men and women who helped put jazz on the map. Visit any one of the five stages and listen to over 100 acts that run the gamut from traditional to groundbreaking new rhythms in modern jazz. Afterward, head over to the Marriott Hotel for a jam session. Drawing from an international audience in the 30 years since its inception, this Labor Day weekend institution will have you dancing in the streets.
Detroit International Jazz Festival
660 Woodward Ave.
Suite 13
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 447-1248
detroitjazzfest.com
Michigan Renaissance Festival
Knights on horseback cross swords in the joust by Michigan Renaissance Festival.
With weekend events ranging from Pirate Weekend to the Highland Games and the ultimate chocolate taste of Sweet Endings, the Michigan Renaissance Festival has pleased crowds since its inception in 1979. Located in the small town of Holly, Michigan, about an hour north of Detroit, this elaborate fair celebrates the middle ages in style. From the king and queen to the lowliest peasant, from the jousting field to the many stages that feature
sword fighting, bardic style entertainment and real live wenches, the fair has something for just about everyone. The Village of Hollygrove boasts permanent buildings, a castle that you can tour and the obligatory turkey leg a la King Henry VIII. The fair guides you back in time to a bygone era when Elizabeth I ruled England's Golden Age. Throw axes, shop for trinkets and be the literal pawn in a live chess game. Be sure to see one of the scheduled jousts while you're there; it is breathtaking to see the armor-clad knights on impeccably trained horses thundering down the course toward one another with lances drawn. And as the sun goes down, grab a flagon of mead and sing along with the villagers as they end another day in the little village of Hollygrove.
Michigan Renaissance Festival
12600 Dixie Highway
Holly, MI 48442
(800) 601-4848
michrenfest.com
