Marche du Nain Rouge is a playful Detroit procession built around the Nain Rouge, a small red figure that appears in several versions of local folklore. Rather than settling on one definitive origin story, the march turns the legend into an annual piece of neighborhood theater and civic satire.
Participants gather in the Cass Corridor wearing elaborate costumes and forming themed krewes, then move through Midtown with music, performances and human-powered floats. The parade traditionally culminates near the Masonic Temple and Cass Park, where the Nain is theatrically confronted or banished for another year. The next march is already announced for March 2027.