It’s that time of year again, when Chicago dyes their river green for St. Patrick’s Day. That’s right, for many years now, Chicago has been dyeing its river green for this lucky holiday. So come along if you want to learn more about Chicago and its amazing St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago go back 175 years and have since then become longstanding traditions that are carried out every year by the people of Chicago. Their first ever St Patrick’s Day parade was first held in 1843, whereas the dyeing of the Chicago River was added in 1962. However, this event quickly became more popular with the people of Chicago than the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The reason why all of these celebrations and more became a thing is that Chicago is a place with lots of Irish heritage.
Knowing that I have told you about some of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago, you may now be wondering what they use to dye their river, as well as how they spread the dye. Well, my answer to those questions is that they use a specially formulated, environmentally safe plant-based powder to turn the Chicago River green, and 2 boats with a group of Journeyman Plumbers Local 130, to dispense 40lbs of green dye that takes 2 hours to fully disperse through the whole river. The dyeing of the river is usually held on the Saturday before St.Patrick’s Day at 10 AM, which is the same day the parade is held as well.
Also, there is a cruise that people can get on at 10 AM on the Saturday before St.Patrick’s Day. People who go on this cruise get to experience in real time putting the green dye into the Chicago River. They even get to watch the boat spread the green dye throughout the water. The only sad thing is that the vibrant green water only lasts a few hours. Originally, the idea of dyeing the river green was to improve the river’s health because it was so polluted. The dyeing of the river is still questioned by environmentalists to this day as to whether it benefits the river’s health at all. The people of Chicago do not care because they have been dyeing the river green for many years at this point, and they are not willing to sacrifice this St. Patrick’s Day tradition.
Another fun fact is that Chicago isn’t the only place that dyes its river green. Tampa, Florida, dyes its Hillsborough River green for St. Patrick’s Day as well. Their green dye is also used to improve the health of the river. Environmentalists have tested their green dye and say that it is good, and Tampa has reported no negative effects on its river from dyeing it green. Although some Tampa residents do not agree with dyeing the river green, this tradition is at risk of being put to an end. Tampa’s tradition of dyeing the Hillsborough River green has been going on since St. Patrick’s Day 2012. That is officially 14 years as of March 17th, 2026. Some cities are finding interesting ways to mark the holiday
https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/holidays/st-patricks-day-chicago/
