The greening of Chicago River. (Photo: City of Chicago)
Big or small, almost every city in America that holds a St. Patrick's Day parade boasts that its parade is the largest in the nation, if not the world.
Chalk it up to Irish inventiveness. Or, as they proudly say in Ireland, "We're excellent liars."
But it’s no lie that the Irish love to celebrate. So put on a funny green hat and a T-shirt that says “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” and join the crowd in these top 10 party spots for a parade down Main Street USA, a pub crawl, some Celtic dancing, or at the very least, a foamy mug of Guinness or a shot of Irish whiskey.
Remember, everyone’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day.
In some cities people celebrate special occasions by painting the town red; in Chicago they paint it green, including the Chicago River, which turns a lovely shade of Irish green each year when the town celebrates St. Patrick’s Day. It's an over-the-top tradition that gives Chicago a definite edge in the Best-Places-to-Party-on-St.-Pat's-Day competition.
For the past half century, a hardy band of celebrants has colored the river with vegetable dye, turning it from its usual murky green to emerald green, making it a fitting background for lots of other holiday activities.
This year the ritual will take place at 10:45 a.m. on March 16 (the day before St. Pat’s Day), just before the noon start of the downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade.
In addition, Chicagoland residents will celebrate by engaging in rowdy pub crawls, family-friendly festivals, a Spirit of Chicago cruise, Celtic celebrations and a host of other colorful activities.