Marche du Nain Rouge returns
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The Nain Rouge onstage at last year's Marche. Photo: Doug Coombe, courtesy of the Marche du Nain Rouge
Detroit's annual celebration of its culture and mythology returns Sunday afternoon to Cass Corridor.
The big picture: Marche du Nain Rouge is a colorful, PG-13 community gathering and parade that leans heavily into music, civic pride, local history, costumes and current events.
Catch up quick: So what exactly is the Nain Rouge? Here's event director Francis Grunow's explanation of the Detroit legend that looms over every Marche:
- "It's a mythological creature. Some would say it's a cryptid, which I don't really know what that means … it's like a thing that is maybe humanoid but not like a human."
- The real question each year is whether the Nain will physically appear before attendees.
Context: Described as a "scarlet imp," the Nain has been known to mysteriously appear at some of the city's infamous mishaps, dating back centuries.
- In 1976, according to legend, two workers saw the Nain climbing up a utility pole shortly before a horrible ice storm.
The latest: This year's Marche features a Groundhog Day-themed performance of the Nain Rouge's origin story.
- "The Nain Rouge is always here — you can't chase the Nain Rouge away. It's something that's inherently part of the city of Detroit," Grunow tells Axios.
State of play: The parade starts Sunday at 1:30pm at Canfield Street and Second Avenue, proceeding eight blocks south on Second to Cass Park.
- Music starts in the area at 11:30am, and the event is rain or shine.
- Up to 10,000 attendees are expected.
The intrigue: In addition to the Groundhog Day theme, this year's Marche will highlight the city's music, with timed performances as opposed to the open community stage of years past.
- About half of the event's approximately $30,000 budget goes to production, while the rest goes to costs related to permitting and police.
What's next: The Marche has enough volunteers for this year's event, but help is still needed for Volunteer du Nain Rouge on March 29 — a Mardi Gras-themed workday to help restore Rouge Park's hiking trails.