Top 11 Things To Do For St. Patrick's Day Around Chicago

New York City may have the biggest St. Patrick's Day parade in the U.S. But with its four parades and an iconic river-dyeing tradition, Chicago may very well outshine the city when it comes to celebrating the cheerful day. From a festive Irish market to an authentic Celtic celebration at the Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the city goes all out for St. Patrick's Day. Consistently voted among the best car-free cities in the U.S., Chicago is also the place for festive bar crawls where visitors can walk from bar to bar while sampling green beer and other spirits. Visitors with kids are not left out. Families will find kid-friendly festivals that will leave a memorable mark on the children in the family.

Thanks to an Irish population that has been an active part of its history since at least the 1850s, when the famous parade began, Chicago shows no sign of stopping its long history of St. Paddy's celebrations. Today, visitors planning a mid-March trip to the city can combine the many St. Patrick's Day festivities with all the gorgeous sights responsible for Chicago's ranking as the world's most beautiful city in 2025. With numerous celebrations around the city, visitors can also plan an escape centered solely on St. Patrick's Day and never get bored.

This Celtic celebration, held annually by Old St. Patrick's Church, may be the most authentic way to experience Irish culture on St. Patrick's Day. Held in the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day, Siamsa na nGael benefits a worthy cause, so while enjoying Irish culture, a visit improves the world. It's also on the fancier side, so expect to leave the creative costumes behind for dressier attire.

Hosted at Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Siamsa na nGael is an evening of orchestras, choirs, soloists, and traditional Irish dance. In 2026, modern interpretations of Irish dance will take over the stage. The Trinity Irish Dance Company is set to perform its unique brand of Irish dance. And attendees get treated to the modern Irish step dances of viral dance group, The Gardiner Brothers. Megan McGinnis, who has performed in Broadway productions like "Les Misérables," "Little Women," and now "Beetlejuice," is also part of the 2026 schedule. The Old St. Patrick's Concert Choir, Metropolis Orchestra, and a string of talented soloists will round off the entertainment.

Visitors can get tickets to attend performances only, or opt to make a premium donation that includes a stylish pre-concert dinner and a post-performance reception. Regardless of what option is chosen, the event benefits Old St. Patrick's Church's arts program in Chicago.

The multiple races (or walks!) at this active event are just as suitable for visitors who want to squeeze in some exercise before the big parade as for those who prefer to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by getting active. St. Paddy's Day Lucky Run usually begins early in the morning on the day of the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade. In 2026, the races start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, leaving plenty of time to get to the parade at 12:15 p.m.

Visitors who want to squeeze in some exercise before the parade have four races to choose from. The longest one is a half marathon with a distance of 13.1 miles. There is also a 5K run and a 10K. Families have their own dedicated one-mile race. Those who can't or don't want to run are welcome to walk.

Visitors who don't plan on going to the parade will find the running event a festive affair. The organizers encourage participants to show up in their best St. Patrick's Day costumes or festive hats. While running, expect scenic views of Lake Michigan, as in 2026, the races happen on the Lakefront Trail along the lake. Shamrock N Half also puts on similar races, along with a festive half-mile race called the Leprechaun Dash. And Bank of America puts on a popular race called the Shamrock Shuffle on March 22.

This iconic event sets off the famous St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Chicago. Held on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, the river-dyeing attracts onlookers to viewpoints along the Chicago River or viewing parties in nearby bars and eateries. At 10 a.m., boats begin spraying dye into the river as attendees wait for the water to transform. Interestingly, the dye comes out orange and stays orange for a few minutes until the river transforms into a shade of green worthy of the Emerald Isle.

Those who want to watch from the river will find points between State Street and Columbus Drive open. The lower Riverwalk closes for the event, but the open areas higher up are a good way to admire the scenic area, which was once a grimy, industrial zone. The bridges above the river are also good points to watch from. For those who want to add some excitement, some of Chicago's best bars and restaurants have good vantage points of the river — and even better celebrations. London House Chicago throws two parties, each with similarly breathtaking views of the Chicago River.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Great Ballroom, families can watch the river dye while enjoying brunch. Starting at 8 a.m., there'll be a play area, face painting, and family-friendly music. Brunch comes with St. Patrick's Day eats and the usual breakfast foods. The second party happens across two rooftop venues with green beer and other St. Paddy's Day-themed cocktails, breakfast, and live DJs. RPM Seafood also throws an all-inclusive viewing party where appetizers, breakfast, lunch, seafood, and festive drinks are part of the experience. Partiers have three floors with live DJs to enjoy.

Watching the St. Patrick's Day river dyeing from a rooftop venue is perfectly fine. But to get closest to the action, a cruise on the river as it turns green is the way to go. The annual St. Patrick's Day Clover Cruise begins with bagpipe music during boarding and continues the festivities on board.

Adding to the authentic Irish ambiance, guests leave the Irish music to find a traditional corned beef meal and Guinness stouts from Ireland onboard. Stouts aren't the only drinks available, so visitors who prefer beer or cocktails have nothing to fear — those are available and given the festive treatment with Irish touches. Guests are also encouraged to wear their best shamrock-inspired embellishments and costumes to add Irish flair.

The cruises take place on boats that are festively decorated for the special day. Special areas for photos and selfies are also set up. Cruises are operated by First Lady, which has a docking area along the Riverwalk, close to Millennium Park, one of Chicago's most iconic attractions. Those staying for an extended period can also book other boat tours to see Chicago's stunning skyline.

Chicago brings a different kind of fun to those who want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some retail therapy. In 2025, the Irish Village Market brought its first pop-up shopping event to downtown Chicago and saw so much success that it's returning in 2026, on the day of the river-dyeing and parade. The village starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m., so visitors can get their shopping in either before the dyeing and parade or after.

In the spirit of the great Christkindlmarkets, usually ranked among America's best Christmas markets, the St. Patrick's Day Irish Village Market aims to immerse visitors in authentic culture. Unlike the Christkindlmarkets' focus on German culture, St. Patrick's Day Irish Village Market aims to expose visitors to authentic Irish culture. Visitors can expect a selection of the most genuine items and eats from the Emerald Isle. Foods like sour bread and creamy Irish butters and cheeses from the Kerrygold brand were all present in 2025.

All this shopping happens with Irish entertainment in the background. A live stage with traditional Irish dance and bands provides lively entertainment, and crafts add fun creativity. The market takes place at Pioneer Court in downtown Chicago.

This famous parade isn't Chicago's only one for St. Patrick's Day. But it is by far the city's biggest. With around 350,000 onlookers, it also ranks among the U.S's largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations. That may be because it's just one part of citywide celebrations that begin with the iconic river dyeing and continue with numerous festivals and parades around other parts of the city. It may also be because the grand parade is as celebratory as it gets.

The celebration begins at 12:15 p.m. with the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band leading the procession with traditional pipe music. Behind them, floats decked out in green and Irish embellishments start rolling out on Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Monroe Drive. Irish dancing troupes, bagpipers, and lively marching bands add to the sights in the parade. Expect to see kilts, green costumes, and shamrocks among onlookers and in the lively parade.

The parade always takes place on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, placing it on March 14 in 2026. Since the area gets crowded, and many streets are closed to accommodate the parade and for safety reasons, taking public transportation in the area is recommended.

The biggest clue to the scale of the Get Lucked Party, known as Chicago's largest St. Patrick's Day party, is the 90 DJs who will be spinning tunes across the event's multiple venues in 2026. There'll be green decor, of course — and it's a 21-and-over event, so the drinks will be flowing in true St. Patrick's Day form. But partiers can expect a host of genuinely fun activities around the venues.

The parties happen in the 300,000-square-foot space at Morgan MFG, City Hall, and its adjoining Recess Bar and Tabu. Tickets give access to all four venues, but 6-hour time slots between 8 a.m. and midnight have to be booked for the chosen venues. No matter what venue is chosen, Get Lucked brings the party vibe. Partiers who want to be someone else for the night can pretend to be cowboys on mechanical bull rides or channel their inner superstar on Get Lucked's karaoke stages. There's also stilt walkers, dancers, and seriously fun photo stations complete with St. Patrick's Day decor. Revelers who head to Morgan MFG will like the raw energy in the intimate boiler room pit.

As expected, the Old St. Patrick's Church goes big to celebrate its namesake. In addition to the annual Siamsa na nGael, its formal Celtic concert held in the week before St. Patrick's Day, the church puts on an all-day Irish party on March 14. Shamrock'n sees pub food, drinks, family activities, and fun Irish cultural performances.

In 2025, the family-friendly celebration saw balloon crafts, face painting, and other kids' events. 2024 was also fun, with families dancing along to kid-friendly music and a children's dance troupe on stage. Also on stage in 2024, bagpipers, violinists, and Irish songs electrified the air. In 2026, visitors can expect more of the same, along with pub eats, St. Patrick's Day-themed drinks, and a festive ambiance. Those who attend can try their luck in the event's Pot o' Gold Raffle. A grand prize of $20,000 goes to the winner. With only 750 tickets sold, chances of winning are way higher than state lotteries around the nation!

Shamrock'n happens at the Old St. Patrick's Church at 65 W. Adams in the West Loop neighborhood. The event goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., making it easy to drop in after the 10 a.m. river dyeing or the 12:15 p.m. parade.

The famous parade downtown may be Chicago's largest, but neighborhoods around the city have their own unique parades that are just as fun. Two of the major ones are the Northwest Irish Day Parade and the South Side Irish Day Parade. The story behind how Chicago came to have these additional parades is quite interesting. The main parade Chicago is famous for began in 1843 but ended in 1902 when the Irish organizers decided to concentrate on the serious state of political affairs in Ireland. The nostalgic parade was sorely missed by Chicago's Irish population, who went about organizing their own smaller neighborhood-based events.

The first replacement parades popped up in 1953 in Chicago's West Side and South Side neighborhoods. By 1979, the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade was firmly established. In 2023, the Northwest Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade was also launched. Today. The Northwest parade gets around 50,000 onlookers and is a true community event with children dancing on sidewalks and homey floats. The parade begins at midday and is held on the Sunday after the main parade downtown, so visitors can easily enjoy the main one, then celebrate twice at the North West celebration.

The South Side Irish Day Parade also happens on the Sunday after the main parade downtown. The parade takes over the streets with green and white floats, marchers clad in plaid kilts, costumed characters, and marching bands blasting bagpipe music into the air. The parade begins at noon.

St Patrick's Day has always been about parties and has always been celebrated on March 17 in the Lent season. In Ireland, Christians would suspend their Lenten fasting for the day and go all out with drinks and food. Today, bar or pub hopping is synonymous with St. Patrick's Day, and in Chicago, visitors have their choice of a few opportunities to imbibe in one location after another.

Happening on March 14, the Chicago Shamrock Crawl takes attendees on an alcohol fueled sprint between 30 of the best bars in the Wrigleyville area of Chicago. Visitors wear festive green while sampling green beer, mimosas, and other drinks as they bar hop. With stools that look like saddles, mechanical bull rides, and a Tex-Mex menu, rustic Stolen Saddle Bar is the place for Western vibes. Spicy drinks and margarita specials are part of the charm. The Rabbit Hole's large selection of draft beers and Graystone Tavern's menu of craft beers is perfect for beer enthusiasts. And between Hacienda D'Suarez and Cheba Hut, all food needs will be covered.

St. Patrick's Day Weekend Bar Crawl also happens on March 14, but has a second event on St. Patrick's Day itself. Visitors hop from bar to bar before ending the night at a free after-party. The event begins at 1 p.m. at the Roadhouse 66 Gas n Grill, where the wristbands that permit entry into participating bars are handed out until 6 p.m.

With family-friendly events like face painting and the opportunity to make edible bracelets, this all-day event in Edison Park is where families with young kids want to start their St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The festival brings a full schedule of events to small businesses in the neighborhood on the weekend before the big parade. The most kid-friendly activities include face painting and balloon art at Nonno Pino's, Irish crafting events at Tavern on the Point, and crafts like finger painting and bracelet making at Moretti's.

Moretti's also crafts a fun lineup of exciting-sounding drinks for the adults in the family — along with some of the best thin-crust pizza in Chicago (Daily Herald Readers' Choice Awards, 2022). The Chicago Garda Pipes and Drums band brings music with pipes and drummers clad in Irish gear while performing at locations across the neighborhood.