There's more to March that wearing green and celebrating St. Patrick's Day, though you'll certainly find plenty of great Irish events around the city. The third month of the year marks the official start of spring, a season that brings the promise of new life and fewer snow days, as well as plenty of great events and openings. Even if Chicago's temperature remain below freezing, you can still take a trip to Navy Pier to see plants in bloom at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. There are also plenty of upcoming concerts, including a plethora of psych rockers at Levitation Festival and appearances by the Alabama Shakes and the Decemberists. Shake off the winter blues with our guide to the most exciting things opening in Chicago in March.
THINGS TO DO
Mar 1: The month starts off on a cold note as Vince Vaughn joins hundreds of brave souls for a dip in Lake Michigan at the annual Chicago Polar Plunge.
Mar 7: Load up a shopping cart and compete in a wacky, costumed race through Wicker Park at the cleverly named Chiditarod X.
Mar 7: The Laboratory, a new learning space opening in Wicker Park, counts a PhD neuroscientist among its brainy staff that teaches kids everything from how to make perfumes and bath bombs to a robotics course on making mechanical monsters.
Mar 14: Head downtown to the Chicago St. Patrick's Day parade to see a green river and marching bagpipers.
Mar 14–22: The Chicago Flower and Garden Show brings picturesque displays of flora to Navy Pier.
Mar 15: The South Side Irish Parade, the city's southernmost St. Patrick's Day celebration, continues its liquor-less march.
Mar 19: Find somewhere to show off your green attire with our guide to the best St. Patrick's Day events.
Mar 29: Shake off winter and get a medal that doubles as a bottle opener at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K race in Grant Park.
FESTIVALS
Mar 1–7: Have you seen any movies from Ireland lately? Get your fill at the Chicago Irish Film Festival.
Mar 7: Dress up in white and see sets from Moby and RJD2 at the Snowstorm Winter Music and Arts Festival.
Mar 7, 8: Not content to have a single convention in Chicago, the Wizard World Comic Con crew returns to Rosemont for Fan Fest Chicago.
Mar 20–22: Plan out your new sleeve at the Chicago Tattoo Arts Convention in Rosemont.
Mar 21: Taste brews from local and national breweries as the Chicago Beer Festival makes its return to Union Station.
Mar 22–Apr 4: You can see some greenery in a department store if you visit the Macy's Flower Show.
RESTAURANTS
Mar 1–31: We’ve missed Doug Sohn since he closed Hot Doug’s, but now we can taste his cuisine again, as he’s making a special pizza for Piece Brewery & Pizzeria.
Mar, second week: Chinatown’s Strings Ramen is aiming to open their Lincoln Park outpost.
Mar TBD: Scofflaw group will be opening a new seafood restaurant in Logan Square.
Note: Restaurant openings are subject to change and can be delayed; call ahead before setting out.
MOVIES
Mar 6: The creator of District 9 takes another whack at South African–set sci-fi with Chappie, the tale of a innocent robot thrust into a dangerous, dystopian world.
Mar 20: Insurgent, the second installment of the Chicago-set dystopian YA series, sees heroine Tris and her cohorts continuing to fight the good fight against the evil Kate Winslet.
Mar 27: In Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, a Japanese woman mistakes a VHS copy of Fargo for a treasure map and heads to Minnesota in search of a case full of money.
COMEDY
Mar 6: If basketball isn't really your thing, dig into the ComedySportz Improv Madness Tournament as 50 performers from all over the country compete against each other all month long.
Mar 13: Comedy Central star Amy Schumer is on the verge of Hollywood success with her film Trainwreck coming out this summer, but you can enjoy her saucy stand-up at the Chicago Theatre before those ticket prices really start to soar.
Mar 18: Former Chicago comic Beth Stelling heads home for a string of Zanies shows.
ART
Mar 10–Aug 16: The Museum of Contemporary Art presents the latest installment in its local artist series with "Chicago Works: Faheem Majeed", a solo exhibition of the South Shore artist's pieces made with reclaimed materials.
Mar 17–Jun 7: Take in more than 300 pieces by Irish artists as the Art Institute digs into its collection with "Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690–1840".
Mar 28–Oct 4: New York–based artist "Keren Cytter" explores low-budget videos featuring intentionally kitschy, lo-fi effects that wouldn't seem out of place on late night Adult Swim broadcast.
THEATER
Mar 13–Apr 19: Kate Fry and Mark L. Montgomery star as oddball middle-aged neighbors in rural Ireland, stumbling their way toward a late chance at love in John Patrick Shanley's Outside Mullingar.
Mar 14–Apr 19: Griffin Theatre Company stages a revival of Lanford Wilson's Balm in Gilead, a sprawling 1964 portrait of the hustlers, junkies, prostitutes and other denizens of a 24-hour diner on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Mar 18–May 3: Michael Patrick Thornton performs the Chicago premiere of Title and Deed, a play about a man on a journey from somewhere to somewhere else.
Mar 19–Apr 19: A teenage would-be priest and a middle-aged Biblical scholar, both struggling with doubt, lead us on an exploration of the creation of the Bible in The Good Book.
DANCE
Mar 5: Alonzo King LINE Ballet comes to the Harris Theater with two dances making their Chicago premiere.
Mar 7: Thodos Dance performs a variety of works with local roots as part of its winter program, "Chicago Inspired".
Mar 7, 8: "Winning Works: Choreographers of Color" hosts the premiere of three dances by Joffrey Academy of Dance competition winners.
Mar 20–29: The Seldoms take over the MCA stage with its new production "Power Goes", a dance about the nature of political power.
MUSIC
Mar 2: Hot off producing the new Kanye song, "Wolves," Norwegian beat-maker Cashmere Cat hits Lincoln Hall.
Mar 6, 7: Wilco spin-off and father-son duo Tweedy brings its cool kraut-folk to the Vic.
Mar 12: Hang with "Cool Kids" when Echosmith pops in to the Metro.
Mar 13: Quirky indie vets Of Montreal and Deerhoof team up at Metro.
Mar 13, 14: New generation noisemakers (Viet Cong) meet old-school heroes (The Pop Group, Swervedriver) when Austin's Levitation Festival brings a two-day treat to Thalia Hall.
Mar 14: Soulful revival rockers Alabama Shakes try to avoid the sophomore slump at the Chicago Theatre.
Mar 14: Seductive duo Sylvan Esso delivers its dreamy pop.
Mar 23: TV on the Radio plants its cool new art-pop Seeds at Metro.
Mar 27: The Decemberists weave their ornate Etsy folk at the Chicago Theatre.