💚☘️ Watch the Chicago River Turn Green! St. Pat’s Day Kickoff (Part 1) ☘️💚

💚☘️ Watch the Chicago River Turn Green! St. Pat’s Day Kickoff (Part 1) ☘️💚

Chicago St. Patrick’s Day River Dyeing, Brunch & Parade

🎉 A beloved Chicago tradition — ALL IN ONE DAY!

We’re continuing a long-standing Chicago tradition and watching the Chicago Plumbers Union Local 130 dye the Chicago River BRIGHT green! 🌊💚 Come dressed in your best green and join us for a 3-part St. Patrick’s Day celebration featuring the river dyeing, brunch, and the downtown parade — all on Saturday, 3/14/26.

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⚠️ IMPORTANT MEETING INFO — PLEASE READ
🚧 The City CLOSES the Riverwalk during the dyeing
⚠️ After 9:00 AM, several bridges CLOSE — arrive early or risk being stuck on the wrong side.
📍 We will meet at the Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E. Wacker Dr, Chicago
➡️ From there, we’ll cross the street to Wacker & Stetson, standing by the railings overlooking the river for a great view.
🚫 Riverwalk access is closed to the public unless you have boat tickets.

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📅 EVENT DATE
Saturday, March 14, 2026

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⏰ PART 1: CHICAGO RIVER DYEING
🕗 8:00 AM – 10:20 AM
📍 Hyatt Regency Chicago 151 E. Wacker Dr · Chicago
Tentative Schedule
• 8:00–10:20 AM — Secure a viewing spot & watch the river turn electric green 💚
• Chicago Plumbers Union pours the dye directly into the river
👕 Dress in layers & wear green! We’ll be outdoors for a long stretch.

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🍽️ PART 2: BRUNCH (SEPARATE RSVP REQUIRED)
🕥 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Avli on the Park
➡️ Brunch is scheduled as a separate event to keep things manageable and due to limited space.
👉 Sign up here:
https://www.meetup.com/windy-city-wanderers/events/312990305/

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🎺 PART 3: ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE (SEPARATE RSVP REQUIRED)
🕛 12:15 PM – 2:30 PM
📍 Columbus Drive & Balbo (We usually miss the first ~15 minutes of the parade)
➡️ Parade viewing is also scheduled as a separate event.
👉 Sign up here:
https://www.meetup.com/windy-city-wanderers/events/312990333/

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☘️ A LITTLE CHICAGO HISTORY
🇮🇪 Chicago’s Irish population grew rapidly in the mid-1800s, but St. Patrick’s Day celebrations didn’t take off until the 20th century.

🌊 The Chicago River was first dyed green in 1962, thanks to Stephen Bailey of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union. A dye originally used to detect river pollution happened to turn the water the perfect shade of Irish green.
• Originally: 100 lbs of dye (lasted a week!)
• Today: ~40 lbs, lasting about 5 hours

🎺 The first official St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in 1956 under Mayor Richard J. Daley, featuring:
• 65 marching units
• 5,000 marchers
• 11 bands
• 29 floats
• 100,000 spectators

Today, Chicago celebrates with two major parades and the iconic green river 💚

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🚧 TRAVEL & LOGISTICS
⚠️ After 9:00 AM, several bridges CLOSE — arrive early or risk being stuck on the wrong side.

🚇 Public Transit:
Use CTA Trip Planner or Google Maps
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/

🚗 Driving & Parking:
• Metered street parking is very limited
• Best options: SpotHero or ParkWhiz
• Many park near Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel and walk over (short walk)

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👕 IMPORTANT NOTES
• Dress for the weather & wear layers 🧥
• Check back for updates — times & locations may change
• Expect crowds — this is one of Chicago’s busiest weekends!

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🚨 NO-SHOW POLICY (PLEASE READ)
• 3 no-shows without updating your RSVP = 3-month event freeze
• RSVP cut-off = event start time
• If running late, message the host directly
• Failure to check in counts as a no-show
• Continued no-shows may result in removal from the group

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💚☘️ Nothing says Chicago like a green river, good food, and a parade! ☘️💚 Can’t wait to celebrate with you!