Annual Art & Craft Fair 2027 in Traverse City: where to stay

Every July, Traverse City hosts the Annual Art & Craft Fair as part of the National Cherry Festival, turning the shoreline of West Grand Traverse Bay into an open-air gallery of juried artists and makers. Sculpture, pottery, handmade jewelry, painting and photography are all part of the exhibitor line-up. The fair sits inside a festival with nearly a century of history, drawing over 500,000 visitors across eight days. That means an unusually broad, family-oriented audience for artists — set against a lakeside setting that is easy to explore on foot. Most visitors pair the fair with the wider festival schedule: concerts, parades, food vendors and free family programming. Booking lodging downtown or near the waterfront puts you a short walk from the exhibition booths.