The Marche du Nain Rouge can be described as a big costume party/parade with a touch of steam punk feel where everyone joins in. Add in a few touches of Stars Wars, Ghostbusters and Road Warrior and you get the idea.
On Sunday, Detroit’s answer to Mardi Gras performed in Midtown as hundreds of costumed revelers celebrated the arrival of spring with a parade down Second Avenue, complete with floats, jugglers, musicians and just about everything else, including a cowboy riding a cow rides.
The 11th Annual Nain Rouge Parade drew hundreds of participants from Metro Detroit and other states on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The parade started in Canfield and ended at the Masonic Temple. Before the march began, bands played while purple gathered to take photos of the costumes and floats. Tran-DA from Detroit listens to the pre-parade conversation.,
The focus of the annual event is the Nain Rouge, a mischievous, reddish demon known to be the harbinger of doom. According to legend, the ghost is quite a mischief-maker and mayhem-maker, cursing Detroit’s founder, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, and the city along with him.
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According to Francis Grunow, co-founder of the Marche du Nain Rouge, the ghost tends to scheme against the city.
“When Cadillac was cursed for insulting the Nain Rouge, the Nain Rouge also cursed the city of Detroit, and since then people have blamed the Nain Rouge or associated the Nain Rouge with bad things that happened,” Grunow said.
The 11th Annual Nain Rouge Parade drew hundreds of participants from Metro Detroit and other states on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The parade started in Canfield and ended at the Masonic Temple. The Ghost Busters car was another popular car that drew a lot of attention.
The Marche du Nain Rouge celebrates the liberation from Nain pride, Detroit, and the beginning of spring.
The event began around noon near Canfield and Second Avenue with pre-parade ceremonies, followed by an opening ceremony on the community stage near the Traffic Jam & Snug restaurant.
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The parade began around 1:30 p.m. as participants marched eight blocks south on Second Avenue before circumnavigating Cass Park and ending at the Masonic Temple. Crowds then flocked to the local merchants and the Masonic Temple where a grand after-party was held.
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Mitchell Rose with Ghostbusters Detroit attended the march for the second straight year. The organization was there to support a local fundraiser, 80s Party For a Purpose.
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Rose said she enjoys most the spooky and creative costumes worn by the contestants as they remind them of Halloween.
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“I didn’t know Detroit had anything so fun, especially spooky fun, I love it,” Rose said. “I love that there are demons everywhere, I love the ghosts, I love everything. It’s like having another Halloween, it’s my favorite holiday so it’s great.”
Bridgette Green of Pingree Farms also marched in the parade with a goat named Octavia, along with several other livestock from the nonprofit.
The 11th Annual Nain Rouge Parade drew hundreds of participants from Metro Detroit and other states on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The parade started in Canfield and ended at the Masonic Temple. Will Liggins of Pingree Farms in Detroit waits for his cow Hope to march in the parade
Grunow said the event gives the community a chance to celebrate and be proud of Detroit.
“There is this great opportunity to use culture, art and creativity in the public sphere to increase the city’s footprint and make people feel good about Detroit and about themselves and their community and to see each other in new, interesting ways ‘ Grunov said.
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Grunow said members of the U-Bahn area are encouraged to attend the event and dress up so the Nain doesn’t recognize them.
“We love it however people come. Whatever you feel, the spirit moves you to dress up. We love seeing handmade costumes and themed costumes from different parts of the city and region,” said Grunow. “Something as simple as wearing a carnival mask is fine, or a hint of red luster, the Nain Rouge’s colors are in the dark red to black category.”
The 11th Annual Nain Rouge Parade drew hundreds of participants from Metro Detroit and other states on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The parade started in Canfield and ended at the Masonic Temple. Flint’s Mary Kline listens to the conversation before the parade begins.
Wearing complementary devil-inspired outfits, Mike and Robyn Moore are long-time participants in the Nain Rouge parade.
The two attend annually with the same friends to take part in the celebration.
“We have come every year for the past ten years. We’re here to party and chase the devil out of Detroit,” Robyn said.
The couple said they enjoy everything about the event, from the music to the day they drank to the costumes.
“It’s a good example of Detroit’s DIY festivals and parades,” Mike said. “Everyone from all different organizations and walks of life comes together, dresses up how they want to dress and expresses how they want to dress for the day.”
The 11th Annual Nain Rouge Parade drew hundreds of participants from Metro Detroit and other states on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The parade started in Canfield and ended at the Masonic Temple. The Roach.Eth car was one of the most popular attractions, with people stopping to take a few pictures of the car, which belonged to Ryan Doyle of Detroit.
Grunow said the event aims to be light-hearted and allow people to laugh at themselves while celebrating spring and enjoying each other. Free to the public, the March du Nain Rouge first began in 2010 and has grown to thousands of participants over time.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Thousands gather in Midtown for the Nain Rouge parade
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