In 2012 we will be turning the river green on Saturday March 17, starting at 10:00 A.M. The best place to view this year will be between Columbus and Wabash. Turning the Chicago river green has been a unique to Chicago for the past 40 years. Most people did not know that this is a privately funded operation, which gets more expensive each year. The purpose of this site is to get the word out to people who want to come out and watch, as well as to support our sponsors. For the past 43 years the Chicago River turns green for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade celebration. One would ask how this is different from the rest of the year when the river is always a murky shade of green. The difference is both significant and breathtaking because the color green is identical to the greens of Ireland from where it got its name “The Emerald Isle.”