Overview
- Chicago River dyeing begins Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m., with the most dramatic color change in the first 30–45 minutes and the vibrant green fading after a few hours.
- Members of Plumbers Union Local 130 apply about 40 pounds of a vegetable-based powder that appears orange-red before turning the river green, and the exact formula remains a closely held secret.
- The dyeing runs from just west of the Columbus Drive bridge toward Orleans Street before Wolf Point, with some bridges closed to spectators, the Riverwalk closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday, and Upper Wacker Drive offering prime views.
- Chicago’s main St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday along Columbus Drive from Balbo to Monroe, with street closures starting as early as 8 a.m. and alternate routes suggested via DuSable Lake Shore Drive and State Street.
- The South Side Irish Parade starts at noon Sunday along Western Avenue from 103rd to 115th, the Northwest Side Irish Parade steps off at noon Sunday from Onahan School along Northwest Highway to Harlem with an estimated 50,000 attendees, and the Archer Avenue parade marches at noon Saturday from Oak Park to Narragansett.