Dyeing of Chicago River, St. Patrick's Day Parade have everyone bedecked in green
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's that time of a year when a sea of people wearing green stand and wait for the Main Branch of the Chicago River to match their outfits.
Boats launched by the Journeyman Plumbers Union Local 130 dumped dye into the Chicago River Saturday morning – turning it a vibrant green. It's an annual tradition – as, of course, is the St. Patrick's Day Parade that was also held downtown Saturday.
"Everybody's Irish today!" one man said.
When Chicago gets the proverbial green light to celebrate, the city unites in green.
"This is very uniquely Chicago sort of vibe," said another man, who had a baby with him. "There's just so much color. There's so much sound. There's so many people just having a great time here today."
First-timers soaked it in.
"Just mesmerized - taking everything in," said another man who was also accompanied by a baby bedecked in green.
If there's an award for best St. Patrick's Day tradition, Chicago has it firmly in its pocket – and it's greener than Mountain Dew. And every bit as green as… Green River soda.
"It really is as vibrant and green as you see in the pictures," the first man said. "It's incredible."
"It's been a Chicago tradition quite a while, and luckily, I finally got to see it, you know?" added the St. Patrick's Day newbie.
And it's not just the river. The streets are flowing green too.
"It's nice. It's nice. It's relaxed," said a parade visitor from Germany. "I can see and hear a lot, so it's a good place."
Some people had better views than others of the parade. But especially those visiting Chicago from far away enjoyed what they saw and heard.
The visitor from Germany enjoyed the bagpipes – or dudelsack in German.
"I love these bagpipes," he said. "That's typical."
At the parade, the floats were the main attraction. But the people were enough to turn heads on St. Patrick's Eve – whether wearing floppy green hats, oversized eyewear with green bows attached, or in one man's case, a bright green dye job for his shaved heard and beard.
Indeed, the city had the green light to celebrate Saturday – and Chicago showed its true colors.
"Everybody's nice. Everybody's good. Everybody's having fun. Everybody's green," said the man with the dyed head and beard.
The tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day dates back to 1962. The annual event was canceled in 2020 as the height of the COVID-19 pandemic began, but resumed the following year.
