This year marks the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the local Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade. Being one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country, it brings in around 200,000 people annually on its historic route down Columbus Drive. Although the parade celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, the actual march takes place on Saturday, March 14, the weekend before the holiday. The parade involves colorful floats waving Irish flags, groups of Irish step dancers, marching bands, bagpipers and so much more during this three-hour celebration. On that same day, one of the most famous St. Patrick’s Day traditions globally will take place on the Chicago River. Each year, dating back over half a century, the river is dyed emerald green. The water starts to turn green at around 9 a.m. and only keeps its bright color for about five hours, so don’t miss out!

In addition to the green river and parade, another iconic St. Patrick’s Day tradition will return once again this March—the Shamrock Shake. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this mint-flavored ice cream treat’s debut in 1970. To celebrate, McDonald’s is taking the shake nationwide for the first time since 2017. McDonald’s released their popular treat on Feb. 19, and it will continue to be sold until St. Patrick’s Day. Alongside the Shamrock Shake, the brand new Oreo Shamrock McFlurry made its debut last month. The McFlurry features the Shamrock flavor and Oreo cookie pieces blended with vanilla soft serve to create this minty-chocolatey dessert. On the McDonald’s website, McDonald’s archivist Mike Bulington claimed, “Every year customers eagerly await the return of the Shamrock Shake—and over the past five decades, getting a sip of this green legend has become a seasonal tradition for many.”

March is also a very important month in the world of baseball, because spring training just started! These are preseason exhibition games to mark the start of the season. This is where new players compete for a spot on the official roster. It is also a time when established players get real, live action. Both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox train in Arizona, and the official season begins at the end of this month. The Cubs open up with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, in Milwaukee, from March 26-29. The White Sox have been rebuilding their team the last few years and hope to see a huge improvement in the upcoming season. Their first series is at home against the Kansas City Royals from March 26-29.