Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade 2025 What we know: While St. Patrick's Day officially takes place on Monday, March 17, the City of Chicago's parade will step off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Bottomless Mimosa Brunch Cruise from City Cruises; St. Patrick’s Day neighborhood events. South Side Irish Parade A long-time tradition, the 47th annual South Side Irish Parade is a homegrown, family-friendly celebration of Irish heritage. Join the thousands of fellow revelers on Sunday, March 16, 2025 who The 70 th annual Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place on Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Monroe Drive shortly after the river is dyed green, according to officials. Credit: Kathleen Hinkel/Block Club Chicago. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago was held in 1843, when the city’s population was between 8,000 and 12,000. Marchers included citizens, a band and a military group of Irish men called the Montgomery Guard, who had spent the winter raising money for uniforms that debuted in the parade. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago 2025 always takes place the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. The parade will begin this year on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at noon. Like previous years, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will move along Columbus Drive from Balbo to Monroe Street. When is the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade? The St. Patrick's Day Parade will step off at 12:15pm on Saturday, March 15, and is preceded by the dyeing of the Chicago River at 10am. Crowds watch as the Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day by the Plumber’s Local 130 in Chicago on March 11, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Hinkel/Block Club Chicago Chicago River Dyeing & St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 10 a.m. Saturday, March 15. Various locations Downtown According to a well-researched 2024 Block Club Chicago feature by Linze Rice, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago was held in 1843 and included citizens, a band and a military group of Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade route The city's downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, at Columbus and When does the downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade take place? Bagpipers play during the Downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 11, 2023 in Chicago. (Shanna Madison/Chicago Tribune) How long do St. Patrick’s Day parades typically last? The duration varies by city, but most major St. Patrick’s Day parades last between 2-5 hours. New York City’s parade, one of the longest, runs for approximately 5.5 hours (from 11:00 AM to 4:30 PM). Smaller city parades may be shorter, lasting 1-2 hours. The downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade kicks off at noon Saturday. Entry to the parade route opens at 11 a.m. at Jackson Boulevard and Ida B. Wells Drive, according to the organizers . The Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade begins at noon, but the festivities start with the dyeing of the Chicago River at 9am. Make sure to arrive a bit early and grab a spot in front of Buckingham Fountain, where dancers and bands pause to wave to the crowd. For more than 60 years, the Windy City has been turning the Chicago River green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.It started in 1961, when Stephen Bailey, the business manager of the Chicago My colleague Moyo will brave the throngs of green Saturday (so you don't have to) and board the St. Patrick's Day Clover Cruise on the First Lady. The two-hour cruise starts at 10am and includes two drinks, corned beef sandwiches and, of course, a front row seat to the river dyeing ($179). the chicago st. patrick's day parade has been called the best parade in the country since 1956, and the dying of the chicago river has become a global event. the parade is organized by the chicago The Chicago River is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day by the Plumber’s Local 130 in Chicago on March 11, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Hinkel/Block Club Chicago. Chicago River Dyeing & St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 10 a.m. Saturday The 70 th annual Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place on Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Monroe Drive shortly after the river is dyed green, according to officials. While St. Patrick's Day officially takes place on Monday, March 17, most of the celebrations will take place the weekend prior. The downtown Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade will be held Saturday Related: 12 St. Patrick's Day Party Cocktails and Appetizer Ideas for the Most Irish Day of the Year How Long Does the Green Dye Last in the Chicago River? With that bright, saturated shade of
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