While St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year, the ever-popular dyeing of the Chicago River and downtown parade take place on Saturday.
Here’s what to know if you plan to watch the events, which have been Chicago traditions for decades.
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What’s the weather forecast?
Expect highs in the upper 40s with partially cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
When will the Chicago River be dyed green?
The dyeing process starts Saturday morning (usually at 10 a.m.) and stretches from Orleans Street almost three-quarters of a mile east to Columbus Drive. The task usually takes 45 minutes to complete. Spectators can watch along Upper Wacker Drive.
The Chicago Riverwalk will be closed starting Friday night and reopen Sunday.
Bridges will be closed to spectators during river dyeing except for Orleans Street and Columbus and LaSalle drives, which will remain open to vehicles and pedestrians.
How can I watch it from the water?
Want to take a ride on the newly tinted water? Depending on which direction the wind is blowing, the water can stay green for up to a few days.
Chicago Water Taxi service is available Saturday and costs $10 each way. Wendella, Chicago’s First Lady and Shoreline Sightseeing also offer a variety of options. Kayak Chicago offers a special paddle tour starting at 10 a.m., and Chicago Boat Co. has cruising options on March 14.
How long has this tradition been around?
The Chicago River, which admittedly can look green on a normal day, is shocked neon lime before settling into a shade of emerald before every St. Patrick’s Day. It’s been happening for more than six decades.
Mayor Richard J. Daley is credited with proposing the idea, but he wanted to turn all of Lake Michigan green. It was Stephen M. Bailey, Daley’s boyhood friend and Chicago Plumbers Union business manager, who suggested dyeing the Chicago River instead. The river ran green for the first time in 1962 (the same year the above photo was taken), one year after Savannah, Georgia, unsuccessfully tried to dye its river green for the Irish holiday.
The first year of river-dyeing, the boat crew used an oil-based Air Force dye that kept the river green for nearly a month and caused an outcry from environmentalists. So a vegetable dye was substituted.
The first person entrusted with turning the river green was William J. Barry, a Chicago port employee who died in 1985. Mike Butler assumed the role in the early 1970s.
“Bill was from Bridgeport,” Butler told the Tribune in 1995. “The mayor trusted him. Bill’d do anything for the mayor. Even though he was a little afraid of water, he went out there. That’s how much he loved the mayor.”
Butler led the volunteer crew for more than 40 years. He died in 2016, but the annual dyeing of the Chicago River for St. Patrick’s Day is still a family reunion for the Butler and Rowan clans, the two families responsible for the tradition of turning the murky water into a bright “Ghostbusters” Slimer green.
When does the St. Patrick’s Day Parade take place downtown?
There is more than a two-hour gap between when dyeing of the Chicago River begins and the parade — which is in its 71st year — steps off on Columbus Drive at Balbo Drive and heads north on Columbus to Monroe Drive.
Spectators can access the parade route starting at 11 a.m. Saturday via Jackson Boulevard and Ida B. Wells Drive. All bags and purses will be checked at these entrances. Leave coolers, alcoholic beverages and water bottles at home.
Saturday’s parade will not be canceled due to weather. “Snow, rain or Arctic cold, the parade goes on,” its organizers said.
- Start time: 12:30 p.m.
- Stepping off from: The corner of Columbus and Balbo drives and heading north on Columbus about a half-mile to Monroe Street
- Road closures: Columbus Drive will be closed to vehicles from Wacker Drive south to Roosevelt Road starting at 8 a.m. Saturday
- Theme: “Faith, peace & unity”
- Grand marshal: The Rev. Thomas R. McCarthy, vocation director for the Midwest Province of the Augustinian Order
- Guest of honor: The Shannon Rovers, celebrating their 100th anniversary
- Queen: Claire Cahill
What’s the best way to get downtown?
Due to expected large crowds and street closures, organizers say to allow extra time to travel for events and consider using public transportation.
Chicago Transit Authority
Unlimited ride passes are available for one day ($5) and can be purchased through the Ventra app. You can check out transitchicago.com for bus and rail fare information, route schedules and maps.
Rail lines:
- Red Line: Exit at Monroe station and walk a few blocks east.
- Blue Line: Exit at Washington station and walk a few blocks east.
Elevated lines (Brown, Green, Pink or Orange): Exit at Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash stations.
Buses: Road closures will cause reroutes.
Metra
Metra offers two weekend-pass options. A weekend pass includes unlimited rides for $10, available only in the Ventra app. Unlimited rides on Saturday or Sunday are $7. Up to three children age 11 and under can ride free with each fare-paying adult.
Six Metra lines connect to Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center. One connects to LaSalle Street Station.
Check metra.com for route schedules and maps. Alcohol and bicycles are not permitted Saturday for all lines.
Parking
If driving downtown, then parking can be purchased in advance through SpotHero or Millennium Garages.
But really — driving in the Loop will still be difficult after the parade concludes.
Can I watch the parade from home?
Yes, tune into WLS-Ch. 7‘s livestream.
Are there other parades in the city?
Yes, there are several other options for St. Patrick’s Day this weekend.
Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Starts at noon at Archer and Oak Park avenues and will march east to Merrimac Avenue.
Northwest Side Irish Parade: Starts at noon Sunday at 6634 W. Raven St. (outside William J. Onahan Elementary School), then proceeds south on Neola Avenue to Northwest Highway, then north on Northwest Highway to Harlem Avenue.
South Side Irish Parade: Starts at noon Sunday at the intersection of 103rd Street and Western Avenue, then proceeds south on Western to 115th Street.
