St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago

This guide is for Chicagoans and visitors who want to see the green river and a parade in March without spending the day stuck in a crowd they did not sign up for. It is also for anyone who would rather hear a fiddle session in a quiet Irish pub on a Tuesday in October.

It covers the river dyeing and the downtown parade, the South Side Irish Parade in Beverly and Morgan Park, which neighborhoods turn into all-day bar crawls, and a short list of Irish pubs worth a visit the rest of the year. Parade dates for 2027 are included only where organizers have announced them.

Dyeing the river

The river dyeing happens on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, the same morning as the downtown parade. Members of Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 have done the job since 1962, and 2026 was their 64th year, according to Block Club Chicago. The idea came from Stephen Bailey, the union’s business manager in the early 1960s, who knew the dye from tracing leaks in buildings. The recipe is a secret, but it is vegetable-based, and the crew spreads about 40 pounds of powder from motorboats between Columbus Drive and Orleans Street.

The official start is 10 a.m. In 2026 the boats went out at 9:52 a.m. The biggest color change comes in the first 30 to 45 minutes, and the green can last from a few hours to a couple of days depending on the weather, according to FOX 32 and CBS News Chicago. The river dyeing and parade listing has the current year’s details once they are posted.

Where to stand

Upper Wacker Drive between State Street and Columbus Drive is the usual best view. The Columbus, LaSalle and Orleans bridges stayed open to people and cars in 2026, while some other bridges closed to spectators. The Riverwalk itself closed from 11 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Sunday that year, so do not plan on watching from the water’s edge. Get there by 9 a.m. if you want a railing spot. The Lake stop on the Red Line, at State and Lake streets, puts you a block from Wacker. Driving downtown that morning is a bad idea; streets close and garages near the river fill early.

The downtown parade

The downtown parade follows the dyeing on the same Saturday and reached its 71st year in 2026. The route runs north on Columbus Drive from Balbo Drive to Monroe Street through Grant Park. Reported step-off times for 2026 differed slightly: CBS News Chicago listed 12:15 p.m. and FOX 32 listed 12:30 p.m., so plan on arriving before noon. Street closures started as early as 8 a.m., including Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Road to Wacker Drive.

Coolers, alcohol, CamelBaks and personal water bottles were not allowed along the route in 2026. Take the Red Line to Harrison or Monroe, or any Loop line to the stops along Wabash. Metra riders can walk from Union Station, Ogilvie or LaSalle Street, or take the Metra Electric to Van Buren Street. The south end of the route near Balbo tends to have more room for families than the stretch near Monroe.

The organizers had not posted a 2027 date as of this check. The parade is traditionally held on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, which in 2027 would be March 13, but treat that as the usual timing, not an announcement.

South Side Irish parade

The South Side Irish Parade is the neighborhood alternative, and it is a family event first. The parade committee has announced the 2027 parade for Sunday, March 14, 2027, according to the South Side Irish Parade website. It steps off at noon from 103rd Street and Western Avenue in Beverly and Morgan Park and marches south to 115th Street, about a mile and a half. The parade started in 1979 with 17 children marching around the 10900 blocks of Washtenaw and Talman avenues, and it moved to Western Avenue in 1981.

The 2025 parade drew an estimated 77,000 people, according to Block Club Chicago, and the march runs about two hours. The rules are strict: no drinking on the parade route, security checkpoints around it, and police tickets for anyone drinking on nearby streets, sidewalks and alleys. In 2026 street parking was banned on Western Avenue from 99th to 119th streets starting at 6 a.m., and side streets leading to Western between 103rd and 115th were restricted from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Metra runs extra trains on the Rock Island Line, and its Beverly branch stops at 103rd, 107th, 111th and 115th streets, each a short walk from the route. That is the easiest way in.

Where to eat and drink on Western

Most pubs are on the west side of Western Avenue, and several open early on parade day. In Beverly, Cork & Kerry at 10614 S. Western Ave. is a neighborhood pub that partners Bill Guide and Mike Fitzpatrick bought more than 20 years ago; the bar opened at 11 a.m. on 2026 parade day. Farther south in Morgan Park, Open Outcry Brewing at 10934 S. Western Ave. is a brewpub with house beer and scratch-made food, and the brewery opened at 10 a.m. for the 2026 parade. Expect lines at both.

For the meal at home afterward, County Fair Foods at 10800 S. Western Ave. is a family-owned grocery, open since 1964, that sells corned beef straight from the barrel in the weeks before the holiday. Shop a day or two ahead: the store closes on parade day.

Where to go and where to avoid

The Saturday of the river dyeing is when downtown and the North Side bar districts are most crowded. In 2026 Block Club reported piles of empty plastic jugs left on downtown sidewalks, police pouring out confiscated drinks and three arrests near the festivities. If you are with kids or just want to see the river, go early, watch from Wacker, catch the parade and leave by mid-afternoon.

Crowded on purpose

• Division Street between Clark and State streets holds Shamrock & Roll, a ticketed street festival that ran 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in 2026. Butch McGuire’s at 20 W. Division St., open since 1961, sits right in it; go another weekend if you want a seat.
• Hubbard Street in River North hosts a two-day outdoor party with DJs and outdoor bars on the Friday and Saturday.
• Wrigleyville’s Shamrock Crawl closed streets from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 2026 Saturday, according to ABC7 Chicago. Expect packed sidewalks and long bar lines on Clark Street near Addison.

Calmer options

The neighborhood parades on Sunday are the quieter choice. Besides the South Side Irish Parade, the Northwest Side Irish Parade steps off at noon from Onahan School at 6634 W. Raven St. in Norwood Park and heads south on Neola Avenue toward Northwest Highway. The Archer Avenue parade in Garfield Ridge runs at noon on the Saturday. St. Patrick’s Day itself falls on a Wednesday in 2027, and pubs tend to fill after work that evening.

Irish pubs the rest of the year

The pubs below are worth a trip in any month, and most are calmer on an ordinary weeknight than on parade weekend.

Chief O’Neill’s Pub

In Avondale at 3471 N. Elston Ave., Chief O’Neill’s Pub is named for Francis O’Neill, the turn-of-the-century Chicago police chief who collected Irish tunes and published O’Neill’s Music of Ireland in 1903. Musicians Brendan and Siobhan McKinney started the pub, which has a garden and Sunday brunch. Posted hours are Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 11 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday noon to 1 a.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; the pub is closed Monday and Tuesday. The Addison Blue Line stop is the nearest L, and street parking on Elston is usually easier than in Lincoln Park or River North. Phone: (773) 583-3066.

The Galway Arms

In Lincoln Park, The Galway Arms at 2442 N. Clark St. runs free live trad sessions with rotating musicians on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, according to the pub’s events page. The bar also shows Premier League matches. The #22 Clark bus stops close by. Street parking is tight, and many side streets are residential permit zones, so read the signs. Phone: (773) 472-5555.

The Kerryman

At 661 N. Clark St. in River North, The Kerryman is a three-level Irish bar and restaurant with a mezzanine and a patio. The weekly specials list Irish coffee on Thursdays and a Guinness happy hour on Fridays, and the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. The Grand stop on the Red Line is a few blocks east. Phone: (312) 335-8121.

Irish Nobleman Pub

In West Town, the Irish Nobleman Pub at 1367 W. Erie St. has 16 beers on tap, a long whiskey list, a scratch kitchen and free board and arcade games, according to the pub’s site. The Chicago stop on the Blue Line is the closest L. Phone: (312) 300-3312.

Declan’s Irish Pub

In Old Town, Declan’s Irish Pub at 1240 N. Wells St. is a sports-first Irish pub with scratch-made food, including fish and chips. The pub is closed Mondays. The Sedgwick stop on the Brown and Purple lines is a short walk, and Wells Street meters fill up on weekends.

Worth the drive

In Arlington Heights, Peggy Kinnane’s at 8 N. Vail Ave. says every piece of the pub’s structure came from Ireland; the downtown Arlington Heights stop on Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line is a short walk. In Aurora, Ballydoyle Irish Pub on New York Street books live music and posts its St. Patrick’s plans each spring.

Good to know

• Checked September 28, 2026. The South Side Irish Parade has announced Sunday, March 14, 2027. The downtown parade and river dyeing had no announced 2027 date at this check.
• March weather swings. The 2025 South Side parade marched through snow flurries and the 2026 parade through rain and sunshine, according to Block Club Chicago. Dress in layers.
• Street closures, bag rules and Riverwalk hours change a little each year. Check city and parade announcements the week before.
• Drinking in public is ticketed at both big parades, and bars along the routes fill early.

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