STORY: A colourful, one-of-a-kind tradition lives on in the city of Chicago .

The city's river is glowing a bright emerald green right now in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

“I've never seen this anywhere else, I've been to New York, I've been all around, nobody does it like Chicago," said St. Patrick's Day reveller Kolton Stremler. "The whole city is just alive."

A local plumbers union did the honour of dying the river gorgeous green hue as thousands of people braved near-freezing temperatures to get a glimpse at the show Saturday (March 14).

“We come here pretty much every year, just have fun, it's a great atmosphere, the river is green, you've got the vibes going, it is just good times," said Gosha Kowalski, a Canadian visiting Chicago to witness the one-of-a-kind river dying.

The bright green colour can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the weather.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (MARCH 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access All)

1. (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF CHICAGO'S RIVER DYED GREEN

2. VARIOUS OF THE PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION 130 DYING THE CHICAGO RIVER GREEN

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOLTON STREMLER, CHICAGOAN, SAYING:

“I've never seen this anywhere else. I've been to New York, I've been all around. Yeah, nobody does it like Chicago. The river here and the people making it, everybody coming out to see it. The whole city is just alive. This whole weekend's gonna be so much fun."

4. PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION 130 DYING THE CHICAGO RIVER GREEN

5. CROWD LOOKING ON AS CHICAGO RIVER IS DYED GREEN

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOLTON STREMLER, CHICAGOAN, SAYING:

“So many different cultures coming together, and this is, you know, obviously this is such a beautiful representation of the immigrant culture in this city, what the city was founded on. And I love how everybody can come together on this day and just enjoy fun like this. The Chicago River is beautiful, everything here is just lovely. I love the community."

7. PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION 130 DYING THE CHICAGO RIVER GREEN

8. CROWD LOOKING ON AS CHICAGO RIVER IS DYED GREEN

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) GOSHA KOWALSKI, CANADIAN VISITING CHICAGO, SAYING:

“We come here pretty much every year, just have fun, it's a great atmosphere, the river is green, you've got the vibes going, it is just good times, good times and we get to dress up."

10. HOSES SPRAYING DYE INTO CHICAGO RIVER AS PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION 130 MEMBERS WAVE AT CROWD

11. PEOPLE ABOARD A NEARBY LOOKING ON AS RIVER IS DYED GREEN

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTT NOWAK, CANADIAN VISITING CHICAGO, SAYING:

“Well, we like driving here, the drinking, the people, the energy. The weather's great right now, not as warm as we'd like, but it's a lot of fun. And everybody's so happy. People stopping and talking and just having a great time."

13. VARIOUS OF DUCKS SWIMMING IN GREEN CHICAGO RIVER