General Parade Rules And Regulations


All entries are subject to approval by the National Cherry Festival. The National Cherry Festival reserves the right to refuse any entry that is deemed not to be in the best interest of the National Cherry Festival.
Exception to any rule contained herein involves approval of the National Cherry Festival. Such approval must occur prior to parade start. Violation of any rule contained herein may result in the immediate removal of a unit prior to or during the parade and render the unit ineligible to participate in future parades.

Parade Application Download


Touchstone Energy Junior Royale Parade
DTE Energy Cherry Royale Parade

General Rules
  1. Entry applications must be returned to the Festival office by mail or fax NO LATER THAN MAY 1. NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DATE!
  2. Entries in all parades must adhere to line-up times. This information will be in your final mailing.
  3. Floats will be pre-judged before the DTE Energy Cherry Royale Parade.
  4. Entries sponsored by or depicting a political organization or controversial issue are not permitted, except insofar as allowed for elected officials. See Parade Participation Guidelines for elected officials.
  5. All units are required to maintain a forward motion.
  6. Strict safety precautions must be observed by all entries. These include:
    a. Toss-outs or handouts from units are not permitted.
    b. Any activities encouraging spectators to shake hands or
        otherwise participate in the parade, thereby impacting live
        television broadcast time-lines, are not allowed.
Vehicle Rules
  1. Motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, or other motorized vehicles not licensed for road use are deemed unacceptable unless approved by the National Cherry Festival.
  2. Drivers of motorized vehicles licensed for road use must be at least 18 years old and hold a valid drivers license.
  3. Motorized units must be equipped with a Class ABC fire extinguisher. All units will be checked for this item at line-up time.
Float Rules
  1. Any entry advertising a product or a company in the DTE Energy Cherry Royale Parade is subject to a $350 fee and shall be considered a commercial business entry. Commercial business entries are limited to the DTE Energy Cherry Royale Parade unless approved by the National Cherry Festival.
  2. No float may exceed 14 feet in height due to traffic lights and power lines on Front and Union Streets. Please measure the total entry length, including the vehicle, tow bar, and float to ensure sufficient spacing for the staging area.
  3. To qualify as a float, the unit must be skirted and all objects on it must be completely decorated in floral sheeting or its equivalent, and must be in good taste.
  4. Floats must be equipped with a Class ABC fire extinguisher. All units will be checked for this item at line-up time.
Parade Participantion Guldelines For
  1. Dignitaries
  2. Elected officials
Parade Participants
  1. Invitations may be issued to the following elected officials currently holding office: Governor, US Senators elected from Michigan, U.S. Representatives elected from Michigan, State Supreme Court Chief Justice, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Senators from Districts 101 and 104, State Representatives from Districts 35 and 37, Chairman Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners, and Mayor City of Traverse City.
  2. Only the immediate family of the elected official can participate in the parade, i.e., spouse and children. This shall not limit the participation of any necessary personnel such as security personnel.
  3. Dignitaries that support the theme and mission of the National Cherry Festival may also be invited to participate in the parade.
Parade Procedures
  1. Dignitaries and elected officials will appear in the parade pursuant to the protocol established by the National Cherry Festival.
  2. The handing out of any literature, other material, or toss-outs is prohibited within the parade route.
  3. Any activity encouraging spectators to shake hands or otherwise participate in the parade is prohibited.
  4. The use of bullhorns or other amplification devices, signs, or banners is prohibited within the parade route.
  5. All participants designated in this section must comply with all other rules governing festival parades, unless waived by the Executive Director of the National Cherry Festival for compelling reasons.
Governing Principals
  1. The National Cherry Festival is intended to offer a festive holiday environment offering community involvement, family enjoyment and entertainment with a theme that promotes the cherry industry and tourism, which cultivates the business, entertainment and cultural interests of the Grand Traverse Region without interference or reference to totally unrelated issues. Therefore, the purpose of the Festival is not to create a political forum beyond what is provided for in this section.
  2. The National Cherry Festival is not a public or governmental organization and, therefore, the participants in the parade must apply or be invited to participate, and meet all applicable guidelines.
  3. The parade roster must be limited to control the length and time of the parade to comply with the time allocated for the broadcast of the event, requirements of the parade permit and to establish an enjoyable time span for spectators to view the parade. Therefore, not everyone can participate and those that do cannot be assured of an individual placement.
  4. The festival organization must also take into consideration the following factors in establishing parade procedures: litter control, crowd control, traffic control, unwarranted intrusions on spectators which are not in keeping with the primary focus of the parade, and general issues of liability.
Animal Unit Rules
  1. Each unit is required to have it's own clean-up crew.
  2. Parade dress for horse riders is desired.
  3. Acrobatic maneuvers must be approved by the National Cherry Festival. Failure to do so will result in removal from the parade.
  4. Animals must be controlled by means of a harness, halter, or leash, if not otherwise contained.
Marching Unit Rules
  1. No maneuvers are allowed that slow the forward movement of the parade.
  2. Musical units, precision drill teams, and baton units must consist of at least 15 members unless approved by the National Cherry Festival.
  3. Marching units are defined as walking units only. Escort vehicles are not permitted unless approved by the National Cherry Festival.
Special Unit Rules
  1. All rules and guidelines apply to special units.
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