Best St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Chicago 2017

St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated with parades, parties, and pub crawls in Chicago and Chicagoland.  St. Patrick’s Day itself will be on March 17, 2017, but most of the celebrations will be held on the weekend before the holiday, on March 11-12. There will be special events, Irish food specialties, green beer, and shamrocks, throughout Chicago. Following are some of the best St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago.

Navy Pier will offer several family-friendly activities in Chicago, according to the Navy Pier calendar of events. The cruise lines at Navy Pier will offer St. Patrick’s Day lunches and cruises on Sat., March 11, 2017, the same day as the famous 62^nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the dyeing of the Chicago River to a brilliant emerald green.See  Best St. Patrick's Day parades in Chicago

for information about the parades and the dyeing of the Chicago River.

 Mystic Cruise Line will offer a party and buffet on the water, with St. Patrick’s Dinner buffet, onboard DJ, and views of the Chicago skyline. Green beer will be available for people 21+.  The price will be from $104.90 per person. The ship will board at 6:30 p.m.

Spirit of Chicago will offer an Afternoon Lunch Cruise on March 11, boarding at 3 p.m. The party will include festive St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Green beer will be available for purchase for adults 21+. The lunch cruise price is $52.90 per adult and $31.95 for children 3-12.

Shoreline’s 11^th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Lunch Cruises will offer a 75-minute tour of all three branches of the Chicago River, which will be green for the day. The cruises will include a traditional Irish buffet and a cash bar. The cruises will depart from Navy Pier’s Polk Bros. Park. Tickets are $59 per adults and $49 per child (3-12).

The Irish American Heritage Center will host two St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, including the St. Patrick’s Day Festival on March 11 and the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17. The center will host Irish music, dance, and cultural events throughout the week. Check the schedule for additional information. The Irish-American Cultural Center is located at 4626 N. Knox Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60630.

Harry O. Caray’s in River North hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parties in Chicago on March 11, 2017, the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The party will run before, during, and after the parade. The doors will open at 9 a.m. Families looking for family-friendly fun can find Irish food specialties at Harry Caray’s at Navy Pier or Water Tower. On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, they will feature St. Patrick’s Day specials at all three locations.

The Seventh Annual Barrington Celtic Fest will be held on March 16-18, 2017 at McGonigal’s Pub at 105 S. Cook St. in Barrington. The Irish celebration will take place in a huge heated festival tent and on both levels of McGonigals’ Pub for three days. Admission to the event will be free, but they request patrons stop at the American Cancer Society’s booth and donate any amount to help the worthy cause. The Pub has set a goal of raising $2500 for the Relay for Life event McGonigal’s will be focused on music, food, and fun during the event, which will be the busiest days of the year. Entertainment will include the McNulty Irish Dancers, Trinity Irish Dancers, Flannery Irish Dancers, The Messengers, the vaguely Familiar Duo, The Ragged Rascals, Cirrus Falcon, TRIADD, Sons of Bildor, and Fast Eddie McAteer.

The Blarney Island After Parade-St. Patrick’s Party will be held at Port of Blarney in Antioch, in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago. Crews from Blarney Island will be driving the boats for the dyeing of the Chicago River in Chicago in the morning.