Chicago is gearing up for a weekend full of St. Patrick’s Day parades and citywide celebrations. Here’s what you need to know.

St. Patrick’s Day is on Monday, March 17. The three annual parades are held the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day. The Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade downtown is held on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, and the South Side Irish Parade in the Beverly/Morgan Park community is held on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day.

Every year on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, the Chicago River is dyed green. The best place to watch the Chicago River turn green is along Upper Wacker Drive between State Street and Columbus Drive. The lower Riverwalk will be closed, except for select ticketed events. Bridges over the river also will be closed during the river dyeing, except for the Orleans Street, Columbus Drive, and LaSalle Street bridges.

The dyeing of the river will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The task usually takes about 45 minutes to complete, and the bright green color can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the weather.

The city’s downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The parade steps off at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, at Columbus and Balbo drives in Grant Park. The parade will proceed north on Columbus Drive to Monroe Street, with the viewing stand located in front of Buckingham Fountain.

Street closures for the parade will begin as early as 8 a.m., including Columbus Drive between Roosevelt Road and Wacker Drive, and east/west streets within those boundaries, between Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Entry to the parade route along Columbus Drive begins at 11 a.m. and will only be permitted at Jackson and Ida B. Wells Drive (formerly Congress Drive) and all entry points will have security checkpoints set up for entry to the parade route. Security will be checking all bags and purses. Coolers, alcohol, open beverages, CamelBaks and personal water bottles will not be allowed into or along the parade route.

Public transportation is the best option for getting to the downtown parade on Saturday. 

• Blue or Red Lines: If you are taking the CTA’s Blue or Red lines, you can exit your train at any of the Loop subway stops, and walk east to Columbus Drive.
• Brown, Green, Orange, or Pink Lines: If you are taking the CTA’s Brown, Green, Orange, or Pink lines, you can exit at any of the elevated stops along Wabash Avenue and walk east to Columbus Drive.
• Metra: If you are coming in on Metra to Union Station or Ogilvie Transportation Center, you can walk seven blocks east to Columbus Drive. If you are riding Metra to LaSalle Street Station, you can walk five blocks east to Columbus Drive. If you are riding Metra to Millennium Station, you can walk south on Michigan Avenue to Monroe Street, Jackson Drive, Ida B. Wells Drive, or Balbo Drive and then east to Columbus Drive.
• Driving: If you are driving downtown, the Grant Park and Millennium Park garages are the closest to the parade route. Entrances to the garages are available along Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Van Buren.