Chicago celebrates St. Patrick's Day 2026 with parades, green river dyeing

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's iconic St. Patrick's Day celebrations kicked off on Saturday.



The 71st annual Chicago Saint Patrick's Day Parade stepped onto Columbus Drive between Monroe Street and Balbo Drive.

The 2026 theme, "Faith, Peace, & Unity," was inspired by Pope Leo XIV.



OEMC said the Chicago Police Department will have an increased presence at all St. Patrick's Day events across the city this weekend.



Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 dyed the Chicago River green at 10 a.m. just west of the Columbus bridge to the east of Orleans before Wolf Point.



The Chicago Riverwalk will be closed from 11 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Sunday.

South Side Irish Parade

One of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades outside of Ireland took over the South Side of Chicago on Sunday.



Thousands turned out for the big annual South Side Irish Parade. The weather held off long enough for people to enjoy all the festivities in Beverly.

It was Baltimore, Maryland transplant Trisha Jeffcoat's first time there.

"We did the dyeing of the river yesterday, and the parade down there, and then I just had to do this one. That was great yesterday. We have high hopes for this one," Jeffcoat said.

Western avenue was awash in green as the 48th running of one of the largest community-based St. Patrick's Day parades stepped off at 103rd Street.



"The atmosphere is just amazing, and we love to be around the cops and the people, and we wouldn't have any other way," said parade-goer Deanne O'Neill

Attending has become a tradition for the O'Neills and other families, who are just happy that rain did not cancel the neighborhood festivities.

"I stand in good with the Lord, and he told me he would stop the rain for the parade," said South Side Irish Parade Committee Chairperson Bill Letz.

This year, there were more than 100 entrants in the parade. Tiyanna Neely, 12, came with her grandmother in hopes of seeing the spirit of the Irish.

This year's parade honored St. Christina Catholic Parish's 100th anniversary, and the Tunnels to Towers Foundation served as parade grand marshal.



"We're a charity that would make a promise our first responders and military, and if you kiss your family goodbye in the morning, and you don't make it back home from your shift, we'll provide your family with a mortgage-free home," said Aric Grooms with the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

The parade marched through the city's Morgan Park and Beverly neighborhoods, ending at 115th Street.

And the celebration will continue, because on Sunday, everyone is Irish!

Others events this weekend:

Saturday, March 14:

Shamrock Crawl - Wrigleyville: The bar crawl begins at 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. OEMC said street closures will begin at 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. at N. Clark Street (1100-1160), N. Clark Street (3450-3600), W. Eddy Street (1100-1160), and N. Seminary Avenue (3505-3525).

Sunday, March 15:

Northwest Side Irish Parade : The parade steps off at noon at Onahan School, at 6634 W. Raven St. proceeding south on Neola Avenue to Northwest Highway and north to Harlem Avenue. Northwest Highway will be closed to vehicles at 9am. Parking restrictions are in effect along the route beginning at 7 a.m. Both sides of the street on Neola, Raven, Northwest Highway, Normandy Avenue, Imlay, Neva, Palatine and Natoma along the route will be affected.