Residents of the Mudgee region will be the VIPs of this Friday's 'pick your own' at Roth Family Orchard as the farm endeavours to host a locals only event.

With the newfound challenge of booking into places a weekly struggle for locals, Roth Family Orchard owner Ingrid Roth said she wanted locals to have priority.

"I've been talking to people who have said they're tired of having to book everything and can't get into places because it's so crowded. This year with COVID we took bookings for 'pick your own' but we thought it would be good to do a day where it's just for locals only," she said.

"I think people like this idea because sometimes it's just nice to go to something without the crowd. They get to have really sweet cherries right off the tree, it's a bit of fun and a chance to get your hands on some good fruit."

With no bookings required, residents can show up to the orchard between 7.30am and 12pm on Friday, December 18 with a gold coin on hand for entry before they head home with cherries purchased on the way out.

"We first started our 'pick your own' quite a few years ago as a local activity when we had a crop we weren't going to harvest and it's really grown over time," Ingrid said.

"We really value our local families who have supported us over a long time, we would love to see everyone back to kick-start their school holidays."

Roth Family Orchard is located at 108 Eurunderee Ln, Eurunderee.