St. Patrick’s Day celebrants hate it when their favorite day of the year falls on a Friday. They can’t hold weekend parades, dance to uilleann pipes or hoist Guinness on March 18-that would be far too late-so they begin festivities almost a full week early. A summary of St. Paddy warm-up events:
– A bus, for thousands of lager-drinking St. Pat’s celebrants, sounds like a fine idea. It will shuttle people all day from Durty Nellie’s West Irish Pub, 55 N. Bothwell, Palatine, to the annual downtown Chicago parade (more on that below). Rides begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $30 (round-trip ride includes hat, beer, breakfast). 847-358-9150.
– A Celtic mass, with Irish step-dancers, singers, musicians and a traditional breakfast, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Old St. Patrick’s Church, 700 W. Adams St. Breakfast tickets are $30; $10 for children (a free mass is at 12:45 p.m. Sunday). The church also displays Irish artist Jeff Fitzpatrick’s “Light of Sun, Radiance of Moon, Splendor of Fire” from Wednesday through March 26. Except for a few public hours on March 17 and 18, it’s available by appointment only. 312-648-1021.
– As long as nobody burps on us, we just love the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade–beginning at noon Saturday at Wacker Drive and Dearborn Street. Free. 312-421-1010.
– Shockingly, corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes (in addition to Guiness and Harp) will be available at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hilton Chicago’s “Biggest St. Patrick’s Party,” 720 S. Michigan Ave. Admission: $5. 312-431-6913.
– What’s a festive Irish celebration without happy-go-lucky Samuel Beckett? The Dominican University’s Celtic Festival opens at 3 p.m. Saturday at 7900 W. Division St., River Forest, with the Irish Repertory of Chicago performing three of the Irish-born writer’s one-act plays. Tickets for the festival, which also includes music and dancing, are $20 ($35 with dinner). 708-524-6942.
– The Fermilab Arts Series goes Irish, with banjoist Mick Moloney, guitarist Zan McLeod and button accordionist Martin Reilly performing at 8 p.m. Saturday at Fermilab’s Ramsey Auditorium, Kirk Road at Pine Street, Batavia. Tickets for the Irish Music and Dance Festival are $18. 630-840-2787.
– The Irish Rovers (right), who’ve piled up 30 gold records since they first sang “The Unicorn ” in 1967, perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts, Governors Highway and University Parkway, University Park. $32. 708-235-2222.
– No word whether Molly Ringwald or Archie Andrews will show up to the “Cutest Little Redhead Contest, ” at 4 p.m. Sunday at Duke O’Brien’s, 110 N. Main St., Crystal Lake, so it’s still anybody’s game to win. It’s part of all-day Irish festivities, with bagpipers, dancers and a buffet brunch, beginning at 10 a.m. $5 after 3 p.m. (kids free; more for the brunch). 815-356-9980.
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– The 22nd annual South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade–led by the Carmelites of Chicago–begins at noon Sunday at 103rd Street and Western Avenue. Free. 773-324-1020, ext. 228.
– Whirligig, which mixes jazz and traditional Irish music, takes its bouzoukis, uilleann pipes, whistles and citterns at 7 p.m. Wednesday to the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free. 312-744-6630.
For more St. Patrick’s Day events, see Dining, Music and On The Go listings.
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