Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations return this weekend bringing crowds and street closures. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) reminds the public of large crowds and security measures in place for the weekend events. OEMC stresses the importance of always being aware of surroundings and reporting suspicious activity to onsite event security or call 9-1-1.

Chicago will have citywide deployments for the St. Patrick’s Day Weekend to ensure the safety and security of the public. OEMC will monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments. Residents and motorists should be aware of the following large events:

River Dyeing and St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Saturday, March 12
The Chicago River will be dyed green beginning at 10 a.m. just west of the Columbus bridge to the east of Orleans before Wolf Point. During the dyeing of the river, bridges will be closed to spectators, however, the Columbus, LaSalle and Orleans bridges will remain open for vehicular/pedestrian traffic. The Chicago Riverwalk will be closed from 11 p.m. on Friday, March 11, through the day on Saturday, March 12 until 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 13. The river dyeing can be viewed along the river from Upper Wacker Drive.

Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off at 12:15 p.m. at Balbo and Columbus Drive proceeding north to Monroe Street. The parade will be broadcast live by ABC 7 Chicago beginning at noon. Expect street closures as early as 8 a.m. including Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Road to Wacker Drive and east/west streets in those boundaries. Streets within the boundary of Monroe Street between Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed. DuSable Lake Shore Drive or State Street can be used as an alternate route. For additional details, visit chicagostpatricksdayparade.org.

Parade organizers and the city have stepped up security and public safety to promote a family-friendly environment. Entry to the parade route along Columbus begins at 10 a.m. and will only be permitted at Jackson and Ida B. Wells Drive (formerly Congress Drive) and all entry points will have security checkpoints where all purses and bags will be checked. Coolers, alcoholic beverages, camelbacks, or personal water bottles will not be permitted along the parade route.

Pole Marker Locations: For public safety, parade-goers are reminded to be aware of the numbers attached to the poles throughout the Grant Park area to help them reference their location within the park to friends, family and first responders if there is an emergency. Pole markings are established within the boundaries of Roosevelt Rd. to Randolph St., DuSable Lake Shore Drive (LSD) to Michigan Avenue.

Archer Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Saturday, March 12
The Archer Avenue parade steps off at noon at 53rd Street and South Oak Park and proceeds south on Oak Park to Archer Avenue; east on Archer to Narragansett; south on Narragansett to 5600 S. Narragansett. The parade is expected to conclude at 2 p.m. and will benefit “Get Behind the Vest,” a Chicago Police Memorial Fund effort, to provide bullet proof vest covers to police officers.

South Side Irish Parade, Sunday, March 13
The South Side Irish Parade steps off at noon at 103rd and Western Avenue, marching south to 115th and Western Avenue. Parking restrictions in the area begin at 8 a.m. and will remain until 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, but anyone parking in the area that day should read signage before parking. Expect parking restrictions on both sides of the street from 103rd to 112th Streets along Western Avenue. The staging area is located on Western Avenue from 99th to 103rd Streets and Bell to Maplewood Avenues. Street closures along the parade route as well as the staging area begin as early as 9 a.m. The parade is expected to end at 3 p.m., the disbanding area is located on Western Avenue from 115th to 119th Streets. For additional details, visit southsideirishparade.org.

Northwest Side Irish Parade, Sunday, March 13
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 in the Norwood Park neighborhood. Northwest Highway will be closed to vehicles at 9am. Parking restrictions are in effect along the route beginning at 7 a.m. and continue through 1:30 p.m. Both sides of the street on Neola, Raven, Northwest Highway, Normandy Avenue, Imlay, Neva, Palatine and Natoma along the route will be affected. For additional details, visit northwestsideirish.org.

Motorists in the areas where events are happening should be prepared for heavy traffic and possible reroutes. Street closures will be in effect for larger events to ensure public safety. Traffic Control Aides (TCAs) will be on hand at events citywide to direct flow and impacts from heavy traffic. Public transportation is encouraged. For more information on CTA services and reroutes, visit www.transitchicago.com or call 312-836-7000 from any area code/1-888-YOUR-I CTA.

Effective February 28, the City of Chicago has removed the mask and vaccine requirements for certain public spaces. Masks will continue to be required in CPS, health care settings, on public transit, and in other congregate settings. For additional guidance visit chicago.gov/covid.

Report Suspicious Activity: If You See Something Say Something. The City reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.

Weather
OEMC advises Chicagoans to be aware of weather conditions, follow instructions and heed all warnings from public safety officials. We encourage residents to check the weather before heading out. For the most up-to-date weather information, please tune into local media or download a weather app.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) will monitor events in collaboration with public safety partners. OEMC will issue any alerts and notifications needed to keep residents and attendees up to date on weather conditions and emergencies. Sign up for NotifyChicago alerts at NotifyChicago.org. OEMC also issues TEXT alerts for lakefront notices, issues affecting businesses or COVID-19 updates:

• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3
• COVID: Get COVID-19 updates by TEXTING “COVID19” to 6-7-2-8-3

For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit the OEMC website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook (@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC) and Instagram (chicago_oemc_911).

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