Chicago Celebrates St. Patrick's Day

BEST DATE NEWS

March 13, 2025: Best Date News Volume #117

Welcome to Best Date News, your favorite Chicago weekly newsletter! In this week’s newsletter you will read about St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Chicago, Southwest Airlines, a total lunar eclipse, the black market of restaurant reservations, Pi Day specials and more!

March 13: National Holidays

• National Popcorn Lover’s Day

• National Jewel Day

• National Earmuff Day

• National Good Samaritan Day

• National K9 Veterans Day

Sponsored by our friends at Ravinia Festival

Ravinia Lineup Announcement

• 2025 Schedule Released: The popular Ravinia Festival in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park officially released its 2025 season lineup this morning.

• Ravinia Festival is a historic music and event venue that puts on some of the best outdoor concerts in the Chicagoland area. One of the coolest parts about the venue is that you can bring all your own food and drinks inside, for free, for the ultimate picnic experience.

• Some of the names you can look forward to seeing this season are Kygo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cynthia Erivo, Lenny Kravitz, Maren Morris, John Legend and many more. See the full list.

• Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, April 24.

Chicago News

• St. Patrick’s Day Weekend: It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Chicago! The iconic Chicago River dyeing is one of the most unique St. Patrick’s Day celebrations you will find anywhere in the world. Not sure what to do or how to celebrate this weekend? Here is a helpful St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago guide.

• St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Did you know that Chicago hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country? It will take place on Saturday, March 15 and kicks off at 12:30 p.m. at Columbus and Balbo in Grant Park. There are colorful floats, Irish dancers, marching bands, bagpipes and more. See all the parade details.

• Southwest Airlines: Flights out of Midway International Airport may soon start costing you a little more. Southwest Airlines just announced this week that checked bags will no longer fly for free. Their popular “Bags Fly Free” policy has been in place since 2009, but it sounds like it will come to an end on May 28. Amtrak cracked a joke at their expense.

• Lunar Eclipse: A rare “blood moon” is expected to be visible in Chicago tonight (as long as we have clear sky). This is due to a total lunar eclipse that will be taking place for just over one hour late this evening. The blood moon is expected to be visible from 1:26 a.m. to 2:31 a.m. with its peak around 2 a.m.

• Restaurant Reservations: Have you heard about the black market for restaurant reservations? As it turns out, Chicago is right in the thick of it, which wouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve tried to get a reservation at a Hogsalt restaurant. A site called Appointment Trader sells restaurant reservations, and Chicago spots like Monteverde, Bavette’s, Maple & Ash can fetch hundreds of dollars for coveted time slots. Illinois lawmakers are considering banning it.

Just For Fun

• Pi Day: Tomorrow, Friday, March 14 is Pi Day (3.14), and Chicago bakeries are ready to celebrate! Between special menus, pie discounts and $3.14 slices, here are 11 Ways to Celebrate Pi Day In Chicago. If you want to try the new Milk Bar in Fulton Market, they have a $10 deal of their own for Pi Day.

• Happiest Cities: WalletHub examined over 180 of the largest cities in the U.S., and based on 29 different key indicators, they have determined the Happiest Cities in America for 2025. Where would you guess that Chicago ranks?!

• Metra Renaming: Metra is considering renaming its rail lines as it begins making map changes in the Chicago area. This comes as Metra has taken control of three lines previously operated by the Union Pacific Railroad.

• Soccer in Chicago: Big news for soccer fans in Chicago this week as The Premier League will be bringing a double header to Soldier Field this summer. The July 30 matches will feature legendary English squads like Manchester United and Everton.

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last newsletter we asked which form of the CTA do you take more often in Chicago. 66% of you said the train and 34% of you said the bus.

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

Here is today’s outlook in Chicago (compared to last week):

• Sunrise: 7:05 a.m. (49 minutes later)

• Sunset: 6:55 p.m. (1 hour and 8 minutes later)

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