Officials moved up the start time of the dyeing of the Chicago River to 9:30 a.m. Saturday to help with crowd control.
"We decided to start it early so all the people can get to the parade site by noon," Jim Coyne, St. Patrick's Day planner, said.
Thousands turn out for the event and the parade each year. The 2014 Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off at noon at Balbo and Columbus and proceeds north on Columbus to Monroe Drive.
"There might be half a million people," Coyne said. "This will be my 38th parade. . . The whole Irish community comes together."
Chicago's South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade is on March 16 at noon. It steps off at 103rd and proceeds down Western Avenue to 115th Street.
