OMG! This somehow slipped under my radar this year! Good thing it starts at noon!
The Marche du Nain Rouge begins at noon on March 24 at the intersection of Canfield St. and Second Ave. with live entertainment. At 1 p.m., the parade will start moving down Second Ave., making its way toward Masonic Temple.
The parade has become a Mardi Gras-like event, with krewes typically dressing in black and red disguises, capes, demonic masks, and more. Some go as far as dressing up like the Teletubbies or the late Queen Elizabeth.
According to legend, the Nain Rouge (“red dwarf” in French) has been around since Detroit’s founding. The Nain is said to appear before disaster strikes the city. It was first seen by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit, who was cursed upon the sighting. The Nain allegedly appeared before the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763, the 1805 fire that nearly burned the entire city, the 1967 rebellion, and a massive ice storm in 1976, according to Mysterious Michigan.
- Le Nain Rouge's website!