Nobody celebrates St. Patrick’s Day like Chicago, hosting one of the largest celebrations in the nation. Chicago hosts numerous events all over the city both on St. Patrick’s Day and on the weekend before the official holiday.

One of the most well-known St. Patrick’s Day traditions in Chicago is the annual dyeing of the Chicago River. Since 1962, the city has used an environmentally friendly powder to make the river “Irish green.” The Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade follows soon after, drawing thousands of spectators downtown.

On Sunday before the holiday, the festivities move to the South Side, with the Irish Parade held on Western Avenue near traditionally Irish neighborhoods. Mount Greenwood, a South Side Chicago neighborhood, was recently listed as one of America’s top Irish neighborhoods, with over 40 percent of residents claiming Irish ancestry.

Warm weather brought an estimated 200,000 people to the South Side on Sunday this year to watch over 100 floats, bands, school groups and organizations taking part in the parade. 

Learn more:
Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Chicago aims to be world’s greenest city on St. Patrick’s weekend (Chicago Tribune)