The best March 2026 events in Chicago

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.

Celebrate the Year of the Snake in Chinatown at the neighborhood's official Lunar New Year parade, which falls after the arrival of Chinese New Year (February 17). Attendees line Wentworth Avenue to see marching bands, decorated floats and traditional lion dancers. The colorful procession begins at 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue at 1pm, traveling north to Cermak Road.

The annual Shamrock Shuffle takes place at Grant Park, sending thousands of green-clad participants on an 8K run, two-mile walk or one-mile race through the Loop. As usual, anyone who signs up will get a festive shirt and knit hat, a bib number to display, a finisher's medal and a drink ticket to use at the post-race party.

Immerse yourself in a new perspective on legendary artist Henri Matisse at this exciting new exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago. Bedridden and unable to paint in the 1940s, Matisse turned to a new, more accessible medium: cut paper. Mining his memories of circuses, world travels, folktales and concerts in Parisian music halls, he produced a series of 20 maquettes that will be on display for the public to enjoy.

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.

Talking Heads frontman, Broadway innovator and all-around creative polymath David Byrne is once again blurring the line between art and science, this time in the middle of downtown Chicago. “Theater of the Mind” is Byrne’s latest experiment in perception, identity and theatrical immersion—and it’s happening inside a real office space. Created with writer and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar, the 15,000-square-foot experience invites audiences of just 16 at a time to explore a series of rooms designed to mess with your senses and make you question, well, yourself.

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).

Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago with the city's sweeping skyline as a backdrop, the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is a winter attraction unlike any other. Skaters can lace up and wind around a winding ice-covered path that's twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink. 

How are some of the most iconic costumes of the past century made? Costume designer Paul Tazewell pulls back the curtain in this behind-the-scenes exhibition. Highlights include costumes from Wicked, Janelle Monáe’s MET Gala looks and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Sketches, videos and narration reveal how imagination becomes wearable art.

Visiting “The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page” at the Gold Coast’s Driehaus Museum feels a bit like opening a very elegant jewelry box: beautifully crafted, lovingly arranged and also...surprisingly compact. Tucked away into two rooms on the museum’s top floor, the film-inspired exhibit offers a curated peek behind the yellow brick road—costumes, concept art, early editions of L. Frank Baum’s original book and just enough memorabilia to spark a pleasant jolt of nostalgia.