The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

A tradition since 1962, representatives of the Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 pour dye into the Chicago River on the morning of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, turning the water a bright shade of green. The dye is vegetable-based, so the river typically reverts to its usual murky shade by the end of the weekend. The Chicago River dyeing takes place between Columbus Drive and Orleans Street, so snag a spot along Upper Wacker Drive for the best sights. For more viewing locations, check out our guide to the best places to watch the Chicago River dyeing.

After the Chicago River is dyed a murky shade of green, the city's big St. Patrick's Day celebration moves to Grant Park for a parade on Columbus Drive. You'll see bagpipes, drum corps, Irish dancers and politicians at this festive procession (celebrating its 70th year), which is among the largest events of its kind in the country. The parade will start at Balbo Drive and Columbus Drive and proceed north, with a viewing stand situated in front of Buckingham Fountain. For more information, including where to watch and the best places to eat and drink near the route, check out our guide to the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The South Side hosts this annual St. Patrick's Day celebration, championing the holiday in some of Chicago's most historically Irish neighborhoods. The procession of floats, bagpipes and marching bands moves south on Western Avenue, beginning at 103rd Street and ending at 115th Street. Though it was once commonplace to find attendees imbibing along the route, there has been a crackdown on drunken behavior in recent years in an effort to make parades throughout the city more family-friendly (in other words, the green beer can wait until after the event).

The Loop and the South Side of Chicago host well-known St. Patrick's Day celebrations, but the city's Northwest Side gets in on the festivities, too! The parade kicks off at noon in front of William J. Onahan School and goes southwest on Neola Avenue and northwest on Northwest Highway to Harlem Avenue.

This South Side community parade put on by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 and the Clear Ridge Men’s Social Athletic Club steps off at noon on March 15 and runs east down Archer Avenue from Oak Park Avenue to Merrimac Avenue. Proceeds from the event will benefit local organizations.

Popular Irish pub Chief O’Neill’s hosts the third annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Avondale. The march kicks off at 10am on March 15, followed by live entertainment and an Irish buffet all day long at Chief O’Neill’s.

After the dyeing of the Chicago River and the St. Patrick's Day Parade, head to Time Out Market Chicago to keep the shamrockin' good times going. We'll be celebrating all day and night with live music and delicious food and drinks, so don your best green attire and get ready to party across three floors. DJs Payday, Maximo and Deja Reve will be spinning tunes throughout the day and the bar will be slinging beverage specials to pair with bites from kitchens like QXY Dumplings, Sporty Bird and Gutenburg. 

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day weekend the traditional way at the Irish American Heritage Center's annual St. Patrick's Festival, where you'll find a lineup of Irish music, dance, food and kids' activities—including Wiggleworms performances—following the river dyeing and parade downtown. Plus, don't miss the arts and crafts fair featuring Irish gifts and the used book sale in the Library, Art Gallery and Museum.

Looking for something to do after the St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown? On March 15, Old St. Patrick's Church hosts this all-day block party in West Loop featuring a heated beer tent, live music, pub fare, kids events, Irish dancing and plenty of other festivities fit for the city's most Irish holiday. Catch performances from acts like Whiskey Mick, Liam Durkin and One of the Girls while kids enjoy face painters and balloon animals. General admission tickets are $30, but the $60 all-inclusive tickets will score you food and drink as well (not available at door).

Festival season usually doesn’t start until late spring but this year, Division Street is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day street fest March 15-16. Embrace the luck of the Irish with live music, traditional dancers, bagpipers, family-friendly activities, beer and food vendors, and plenty of festive cheer. The entertainment lineup includes performances by The Larkin & Moran Brothers, St. James Gate, the Bagpipes & Drums of the Emerald Society, Trinity Irish Dancers, and more.

Gallagher Way celebrates St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, March 16 with a host of family-friendly activities. Enjoy Irish dancing performances, live music and lawn games while sipping on festive green beer or Irish coffee. For the little ones, there will also be face painting and balloon artists.

The Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts celebrates Holi, a Hindu festival of colors commemorating the return of spring, with an afternoon of festivities at the Chicago Women's Park and Gardens in South Loop. Guests will enjoy dancing, music, food, arts and crafts, and, of course, the throwing of colored powder.

Columbia College hosts its very own pop culture expo made by fans, for fans. Come show off your geeky side and meet fellow enthusiasts. The festivities will include an artist marketplace, cosplay meetups, industry guest panels and much more.

Head to KOVAL Distillery to shop a variety of goods from 25 local artisan makers. You’ll be able to peruse items like jewelry, knit goods, home decor, prints, paintings, candles and more, all while sipping on drinks.

Marz Community Brewing hosts a showcase of Chicago’s electronic music scene from March 7-15. Live performances will be held at both of Marz’s taprooms (McKinley Park and Logan Square), and there will also be a synth flea market featuring vendors and manufacturers selling gear. Admission is free; check out the full lineup here.

In its 23rd year, Chicago's annual Flamenco Festival brings a four-week-long lineup of flamenco's brightest young stars and critically acclaimed artists to the Instituto Cervantes of Chicago. Throughout the festival, flamenco performances, workshops, lectures, films and other events will be offered. Whether you're a novice or expert on flamenco, come celebrate some of the finest Spanish and Hispanic heritage in the city. 

The JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival returns for its 12th year, featuring 19 documentaries, dramas and comedies from around the world that explore Jewish identity and experience. Spread across three weeks, the showings will take place at Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park and the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. This year's lineup includes Midas Man, a film that showcases the legendary career of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and October H8te, which explores the explosion of anti-Semitism on college campuses, on social media and in the streets of America in the aftermath of October 7.

Hunt for rare treasures at a vintage pop-up shop at the Market. Browse through a unique selection of home decor, jewelry, clothing, accessories and much more from local vendors, and refuel afterwards with a delicious bite or drink at the bar.

Bingo Loco, an interactive rave show that takes place in cities around the world, comes to West Loop’s Morgan MFG this winter. The traditional game of bingo gets reimagined as a three-hour long immersive experience, complete with epic dance offs, rave rounds, lip sync battles, confetti showers, CO2 cannons, conga lines and prizes ranging from international trips to lawnmowers. One thing’s for sure—this ain’t bingo night at the senior center.

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its annnual Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's theme, "Rooted in Mystery," which explores the critical part of plants we don't see hidden underground. You'll find spring bulbs like azaleas, pansies, snapdragons, astilbe, baptisia, hydrangeas and more. The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

Need a break from the monotonous sights of winter in Chicago? Head to the North Shore for the Chicago Botanic Garden's annual orchid show, where there are more than 10,000 vibrant blooms on display to brighten your day. This year's show is inspired by the beauty of India—you'll marvel at a floor-to-ceiling peacock and a towering banyan tree with cascading roots. Swing by on Saturdays and Sundays to shop for orchids of your own in a pop-up marketplace, or stay late on select Thursday and Friday nights to have a cocktail and fried goat cheese during Orchids After Hours.

The South Loop Farmers Market heads indoors for the season, bringing more than 75 vendors each Sunday to the fourth level of Water Tower Place. Shop for fresh produce, preserved veggies, cheeses, meats and more while enjoying live entertainment. Guests can also check out a kids' play zone, capture special moments with family and pet photography, and play some virtual reality games.

Check out all sorts of cool trinkets, wares and eats at this indoor market highlighting artisan makers from Chicago’s South Side. Taking place on the second floor of the Promontory, the family-friendly event features new and returning vendors, a cocktail bar, lounge areas and tunes by DJ Sean Alvarez of We Love Soul.

At a motel in the Mojave Desert, two lovers, or fools as the play would suggest, meet up and clash. With just three main cast members, Fool for Love is a haunting drama that explores the deeply complex relationship between the trio. The play was written in 1983 by noted playwright Sam Shepard, whose works also include A Lie of the Mind and Buried Child, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979.

Betrayal isn’t structured like a traditional play. The events move in reverse chronological order, showcasing the demise of an affair and going back in time as it occurred and ultimately to the beginning. The play stars Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winner Helen Hunt as Emma, who is having an affair with Jerry, her husband’s friend and coworker. Betrayal, which is playing at the Goodman Theatre, was first written by British playwright Harold Pinter in 1978.

A musical based on the 2007 film of the same name, Waitress follows Jenna, a waitress at a cafe who’s in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After becoming pregnant, Jenna starts an affair with her doctor and enters a pie-baking contest, hoping to win the grand prize in order to fund her escape.

Sam Shepard is one of the most highly-regarded American playwrights for good reason—his works are a masterclass in writing about bleak situations and infusing them with black comedy, like in A Lie of the Mind. The play is centered around spousal abuse and how it impacted two families.

You’ve probably seen a Shakespeare play before, but never like this. Five professional actors come together for each performance of Drunk Shakespeare. The twist? One of them has had five shots before the show and is trying to stay on track while the other four actors do their best to hold the performance together.

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry has debuted an exhibit dedicated to the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running film franchise, James Bond. Fans can check out 13 vehicles and over 90 additional artifacts, including the prototype jetpack used in Thunderball, an MI6 Retina Scanner from GoldenEye and the Parahawk snowmobile hybrid from The World Is Not Enough. You’ll also be able to step into a lab space inspired by “Q” and test your skills developing the perfect vehicle for spy activities, designing stunts and more.

Head to 360 Chicago on Saturdays for yoga with a killer view. Instructor Britta Eumann will lead an hour-long class on the 94th floor of 875 N Michigan Avenue (formerly the John Hancock Center) that’s suitable for all ages and skill levels—you just need to bring your own mat and arrived properly dressed. Registration is $55 and includes a cocktail or coffee, plus admission to the observation deck so you can stick around and snap some photos after you're done striking poses on the mat.

For more than 30 years, the Neo-Futurists have been delighting late-night crowds with performances that pack 30 miniature plays into a 60-minute show. The company's signature show is more unpredictable than ever these days, with a handful of compact new plays premiering every week. Within the span of 10 minutes, you may be treated to a poignant monologue about everyday life or an irreverent diatribe delivered by a pantsless member of the cast—all inspired by the experiences of the performers on stage. Always changing and evolving, it's the rare show that truly offers something different everytime you show up to see it.

This weekly “live magazine” is a cavalcade of culture, politics and wit featuring journalists, actors, comedians and musicians offering idiosyncratic reports on the news of the day. Head to Uptown’s iconic Green Mill for drinks, hot takes and laughs; the longstanding Saturday afternoon edition tends to run about two and a half hours.