For those of you who didn't get your Irish out yesterday, the Tossers are playing their annual St. Patrick's Day show Metro tonight. It seems fitting that Tony Duggins and company play the venerable Wrigleyville concert venue the day after St. Patrick's Day. The Tossers' sound is firmly rooted in that fusion of Irish folk and punk. Playing an actual St. Patrick's day gig on the day itself would seem like a concession. more ›

We'll admit to being numb to the Shannon Rovers, as the noted drum and fife corps will blow their bagpipes anywhere (as you'll see when "One for the Road" goes live at 4:30). they'll even play a Polar Bear Plunge. more ›

The cliche holds that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. We're not going to argue that today. We're just going to have fun with it in the form of the bingo card we've created for you to put some non-drunken revelry into the day. We expect to find people filling this out at Fado, Cork & Kerry, Abbey Pub and Chief O'Neill's. Because everyone is Irish today and everyone's a winner! more ›

With St. Patrick’s Day so close at hand, thoughts immediately turn to all things Irish. From potatoes to beer and, of course, that propensity to party into the wee hours o’ the morning, St. Patty’s is a day of overindulgence. If you are looking to avoid that green feeling of a morning-after hangover, your best bet is to steer clear of the beer and indulge in a little solid Irish fare. In fact, for those of the veggie persuasion, what better a holiday to enjoy than this - the greenest of days. more ›

Despite the green river, drunken hordes and large parade, some of you may remember that St. Patrick's Day hasn't happened yet. In fact, since the holiday falls on a weekday, there are two weekends of fun, and two weekends of great food and drink specials all over the city. We're gonna focus on the places that go above and beyond with food - cheap green beer isn't news in Chicago, and we bet that you've read plenty about drink specials already. Some of these events happen on the actual day (March 17), some during this week and some next weekend. Whenever they occur, eat something new and exciting on the day of green this year. more ›

Chicago and the Irish are so interwoven that it's easy to see why Shawn Ryan made the mob Irish in The Chicago Code, even though it may not be factually correct. Part of that fabric is the richness of the city's Irish music. From the punk-infused folk of the Tossers to the hootenannies in some of the tougher Beverly pubs, this is the time of year for Irish music. And that includes the drum-and-fife corps. more ›

A few years ago, Denver's FOX affiliate had the brilliant idea to give commentary of their St. Patrick's Day coverage over to a reveler. And when we say "brilliant" we're not being snarky. The result was classic and makes us wonder why our local television news outlets don't do the same. more ›

Once again, President Obama has extended that tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green to the White House by dyeing the fountain as well. Sort of. It looks like some of that luck of the Irish is coming through, at least for Obama. Earlier today, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich publicly announced he would switch his health care vote from "Nay" to "Yea," a big get for the Democrats who are scrambling to reach that 216 vote margin to pass the bill. We'll see if the President's good luck also extends to his NCAA tournament picks. more ›

In which Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas gets a St. Patrick's Day spin. more ›

Ah, St. Patrick's Day. While most of the city honored the patron saint of green beer over the weekend, today is the official holiday. But today will be about more than shamrocks and wearing green. Today will also be the start of a three-day stretch of amazing spring weather. Sunny skies, highs in the upper 50s, light winds...today is looking fantastic. And tomorrow? Highs in the upper 60s and even more on Friday. The point is, this weekend is looking crappy. So why not play hooky one of these days? Or all three? There'll be plenty of basketball to watch this weekend when it's cold and raining, so get outside and get some sun because while we're all Irish today, we shouldn't all be so pale. more ›

Normally, by 11 a.m. on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day, the streets in Beverly are usually teeming with people for the annual South Side Irish parade. But last year, the decision was made to discontinue the parade and it was transformed into a 10-day festival. Still, thousands of people pledged on the internet to “show up to the Southside Irish Parade anyway.' But very few followed through on that virtual promise. more ›

Sure, St. Patrick's Day isn't until Wednesday, but that didn't keep many in the city from celebrating - rain or shine - this weekend. Here are some reader photos of celebrations from around the city and Aaron will be up later with a look at what, if anything, went down on the South Side. more ›

In case you didn't notice, the Chicago skyline has been showing its Irish pride like everyone else by wearing its finest green outfits. Every few weeks a few brave individuals travel to the tops of the city to change the colors of the lights on the tops of our skyline, but how do they do it? "Magic and pixie dust," he said. Of course, Randy Stancik, building manager of the Sears Tower, was joking. It is actually a manual process, Stancik said. It takes two men about two hours to change the colors, attaching theatrical gels to the tops of the 22 spotlights that illuminate the antennae. more ›

This one doesn't really need any introduction. Just enjoy. [via] more ›

We've already shared our photos of the downtown parade and the South Side Irish Parade, so for a special edition of Around Town to mark today's holiday, we thought we'd dip into the Flickr pool for some great pics from our readers. Enjoy! more ›

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. Today, everyone is Irish, yes? Well, that's why I put Bailey's in my coffee this morning. more ›

If you're looking for a St. Patrick's Day celebration that won't end with you asleep before sundown or crying in a bar bathroom, head to Symphony Center tomorrow night for the 13th annual Siamsa na nGael. more ›

Next Thursday, everyone's beloved River East grocer, Fox and Obel, will be hosting a class celebrating Irish cheese and beer just in time for your St. Patrick's Day celebration. Fox and Obel's cheese guy, Aaron Stek, will lead attendees through a sampling and education of several cheeses including Cashel Blue, Ardrahan, Coolea and Vintage Irish Cheddar. Wash it down with a selection of Irish beers, compliments of a Guinness beer ambassador. more ›

We couldn't pick just one photo for today's Extra, Extra. more ›

In honor of our unofficial national holiday of drinking, St. Patrick's Day, we thought we'd peruse Men'sHealth Magazine's recent list of America's Drunkest Cities. Top of the list? Denver, followed by Anchorage, Colorado Springs, Omaha and Fargo. Our neighbors to the north in Milwaukee come in at #10. Our fair city comes in at 39th overall, 13th in binge drinking, and 17th in DUI arrests. At least, we think so, as their method of ranking seems kind of convoluted. The magazine provides their methods of figuring out the rankings, though there's no mention of how the performance of a city's professional sports teams affect the rankings. more ›

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Looking for a great place to indulge in the Irish food classics and knock back a few pints? Head over to some of our favorites: more ›

Maybe the best part of St. Patrick’s Day festivities is the reminder that warmer days are on their way, bringing with them festivals and parades. Today’s emerald green dyeing of Chicago River and the downtown Chicago Parade was chillier than it had been this week, but lower temperatures far from cooled the spirits of the crowd. We were on hand to snap a few photos of the day. more ›

A St. Charles bagpiper's pipes were stolen after the South Side St. Patrick's Parade on Sunday. more ›

The South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day parade will be held a week earlier than usual this year. Typically, the parade is held the Sunday before March 17, but this year, that's Palm Sunday, a major day on the Catholic calendar. So parade organizers moved the festivities up to March 9 to avoid any conflicts. We're not sure how much local St. Patrick's revelry will actually be affected by the Catholic calendar, since the ways we usually see people celebrate are definitely not Church-sanctioned. more ›