Detroit's culture and mythology on display during Marche du Nain Rouge
Spring technically started on March 21, but many in Metro Detroit know it's not really spring until the Marche du Nain Rouge in the Cass Corridor neighborhood.
"I love seeing everybody express themselves with their fabulous costumes and coming out to support Detroit," a spectator said.
Nain Rouge is a mythical creature, meaning "red dwarf" in French, whose appearance is said to be a sign of doom in Detroit.
The event has brought thousands of people to Midtown every year since 2010 with an annual outdoor celebration of the city's culture and mythology.
"This is about chasing the devil out of the city and chasing the curse away. It is an incredible experience," Brent Charles from Eastpointe said.
Music started around 11:30 a.m. and a parade followed throughout Cass Corridor with around 10,000 people, and it flowed right into an afterparty outside the Masonic Temple.
The parade displayed a never-ending amount of eccentric costumes and vehicles with everyone making sure to boo at the Nain Rouge.
"It's proof the city is definitely alive," Garo Danayan from Huntington Woods said. "It's cool to be a part of and it's stuff like this that makes Detroit special and it's cool to be down here."
Ferndale resident Sean Ryan shared similar sentiments.
"Wild outfits, wild people, but everybody showing out for the community is always great," Ryan said.
Eric Sands has been coming to the parade every year since it began.
"It's just fun vibes," Sands said. "It's family-oriented and we have all different kinds of people out. It's just like New Orleans in Detroit — Mardis Gras — but we're chasing the red devil out."
