Ah, Saint Patrick’s Day—Chicago’s annual excuse to dye the river from a sick shade of sewage olive to a sick shade of kelly green. The March 17 holiday falls on a Thursday this year, but most of the big happenings, like the parades and the aforementioned river staining, go down this weekend. Here’s some of what we recommend to pair with your daytime drinking.
Gaelic Storm The Celtic-rock giants play a pair of shows. Fri 3/11-Sat 3/12, 6:30 PM, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, 312-923-2000, houseofblues.com/chicago, $36.
Northwestside Irish Parade The neighborhood parade celebrates members of the humanitarian group Brave Hearts Riding. Sun 3/13, noon, 6633 W. Raven, northwestsideirish.org. Free.
Saint Pat’s Trolley Tour and Bar Crawl A bar crawl through Lincoln Park featuring stops at bars like O’Malley’s West and Lion Head Pub. The journey includes a Saint Pat’s medallion, a photo hunt, drink specials, and gift cards. Sat 3/12, 8 AM-2 PM, Joe’s, 940 W. Weed, 312-337-3486, mydrinkon.com, $24.
