The St. Patrick's Day Parade and River Dyeing is one of Chicago's most significant events, garnering around 400,000 spectators each year. Expect large crowds again this year with both festivities and St. Patrick's Day proper landing on a Saturday. The river dyeing typically commences around 9 am on Saturday morning, and city officials have previously recommended the following places as the best vantage points: East side of bridge at Michigan Avenue; West side of Columbus Drive bridge; Chicago Riverwalk between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive; Upper and Lower Wacker Drive between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive. Each of the locations listed above is a short walk from Best Western River North, so be sure to make reservations soon, as the weekend festivities are sure to fill up downtown hotels quickly. In addition to the river dyeing being one of the most Instagrammable mornings of the year, the St. Patrick's Day parade will keep the party going with a start time of about 12:00 pm at the intersection of Columbus and Balbo. Colorful floats, green, white, and orange flags, dancers, bands, and bagpipes will fill the streets for around three hours as the procession makes its way north toward Monroe Street. Some vendors are typically open along Chicago's beautiful Riverwalk with Irish-themed food and drinks. For those looking to enjoy a Guinness in an authentic Irish location, the much-heralded Fado's Irish Pub is located directly behind Best Western River North. Fado's has been Irish owned and operated since 1997 and features a 100+-year-old bar reclaimed from Purty's Kitchen in Dublin. If you would like to stick close to home, be sure to check Best Western River North's own Pizzeria Ora for drink specials, as the hotel and most of downtown will be embracing the spirit of the day.
