Chi-Town Wearing of the Green on St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is one of Chicago's favorite holidays. Chicago celebrates the Irish holiday by dyeing the Chicago River Green. Two different parades mark the Irish holiday. On the weekend preceding St. Patrick's Day there will be Irish music at Navy Pier. Chicagoans get ready to party!

South Side Irish
Sunday, March 9
The south side block party, is said to be an Irish blast. Held in the Irish neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, this parade attracts a crowd of 325,000 people. This year the south side parade will be held the week before St. Patrick's Day, on Sunday, March 9 at noon. The south side parade begins at 103rd Street and Western Avenue. The celebration starts at St Cajetan Parish, with a Parade Mass. The celebration begins with Irish songs and music at 8:30 am, followed by Mass at 9:00 am. St. Cajatan Church is located at 112th and Artesian in the West Morgan Park neighborhood of Chicago.

St. Patrick's Day: Downtown Chicago, March 15

The leprechauns plan a big day on the Saturday before St. Pat's. Travel to the city on public transportation to see the dyeing of the Chicago River on Saturday morning. After the river is dyed emerald green, the famed Chicago St. Pats Parade will march the streets. There will be Irish festivities and music at Navy Pier all day. Party goers might even pop into an Irish pub, or two, for a green beer, Guinness or strong Irish Whiskey.

Navy Pier
St. Patrick's Day Celebration: A Weekend of Traditional Irish Celtic Music
Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, 2008, 11:30 am to 4:30 pm
Navy Pier's Pavilion Stage will celebrate Chicago's rich Irish heritage. Chicagoan's will be treated to two days of traditional Irish/Celtic acoustic music and bagpipes. The musical lineup includes: Stockyard Kitty Band Bagpipers, Gan Bua, The Sprigs, Ce and Anish. All ages are welcome. Admission is free.

While at the Irish celebration at Navy Pier, enter to win round trip air area to Dublin, Ireland on American Airlines. Sweepstakes end on March 16 at 4:30 pm. The drawing will be held at 5:30 pm.

The Traditional Greening of the Chicago River . Chicago is famous for the tradition of dyeing the Chicago River Irish Green Leprechaun's, and green dye, transform the usually murky water of the Chicago River bright emerald green for the day. The Chicago River travels through the downtown Chicago Loop and to Lake Michigan. The River is dyed on March 15 at 10:45 am. Plan to arrive early to see the amazing sight. The best place to view the transformation is from the upper level bridges at Michigan Ave. or Columbus Drive.

There is quite a story behind the dyeing of the Chicago River. The River was first dyed in 1961, when city workers found that dye that was used to detect leaks into the river turned the perfect shade of green. There was no precedent, or recipe, for dyeing a river, so it took some trial and error to find the right mix of dye to get the desired effect. The first year that the river was dyed, they used 100 pounds of dye and the river stayed green for a week! A few years of experimentation taught them that it took 25 pounds of dye to transform the river for one day. In 1966 environmentalists complained about the toxic effects the oil based dye on the water. The committee experimented with formulations to find the currently used dye. The current formulation of 40 pounds of dye turns the river Irish green for four to five hours. The dye that transform the Chicago River Emerald Green is actually orange!

2008 Saint Patrick's Day Parade Downtown Chicago. After the River is dyed green, the great Saint Patrick's Day parade will be held. The parade begins at noon on March 15. The parade is always held the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. The parade starts on Balboa and Columbus and proceeds north on Columbus Drive. The viewing stand will be located in front of Buckingham Fountain. The parade draws over 300,000 spectators, so public transportation is strongly advised, especially if planning to drink green beer or Irish Whiskey.

Have a happy and safe St. Paddy's Day.

Read about the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show in Rosemont.