In which year did Chicago start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by putting green dye in the river?

The unique tradition of dyeing the Chicago River to get that classic emerald green color began in 1962 when over 100 pounds of green dye was poured into the Chicago River to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. The green color lasted about one week.

It was in 1961 that Stephen Bailey, a business manager of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 110 (union) saw a plumber wearing white coveralls that were stained with an “Irish” green dye that was used in the Chicago River. At the time this fluorescein dye was used to detect leaks and pollution in the river.

The following year the amount and type of dye was modified perfecting the process. As of 2021, approximately 40 pounds of environmentally friendly dye is poured into the river which keeps it colored green for about 4 or to five hours. The dye is actually a powdered vegetable dye, orange in color, but turns green when it hits the water.

The Chicago River has a combine length of 156 miles (251 km) that runs through the city, including its center called the Chicago Loop.

In November 2016, when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in baseball, the river was dyed blue during the celebration. The team had last won the World Series in 1908. The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada.