St. Patrick's Day Weekend in Chicago

BEST DATE NEWS

March 12, 2026: Best Date News Volume #169

Welcome to Best Date News, your go-to guide for what’s happening in Chicago! This week, we’re diving into St. Patrick’s Day festivities, 312 Day, this week’s severe weather, the Chicago River Swim, Pi Day, PopUp Bagels, weekend plans and more.

March 12: National Holidays

• 312 Day

• National Girl Scout Day

• National Popcorn Lover’s Day

• National Plant a Flower Day

• National Alfred Hitchcock Day

• National Working Moms Day

Sponsored by our friends at Ravinia Festival

Ravinia Lineup Announcement

• 2026 Schedule Released: The popular Ravinia Festival in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park officially released its 2026 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 biggest names you can look forward to seeing this season are Ricky Martin, Paul Simon, Chance the Rapper, Miranda Lambert, Hugh Jackman, Rod Stewart, and many more. See the full list.

• Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, April 23.

Chicago News

• St. Patrick’s Day: It’s one of the biggest holiday celebrations of the year in Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day weekend! 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 2026 in Chicago guide.

• Severe Weather: The Chicagoland area saw multiple rounds of severe weather this week. A tornado ripped through Kankakee County Tuesday night, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The storms also produced a hailstone that could be the largest ever recorded in Illinois. Here is the Chicago weather outlook for the rest of the week.

• Chicago River Swim: The city announced this morning that the Chicago River Swim will return for its second year on Sunday, Sept. 20, bringing swimmers back for one-mile and two-mile open-water races along the river’s main branch in downtown Chicago. Last year’s inaugural event was the first organized swim in the Chicago River in nearly a century, highlighting how much the river’s water quality has improved over the decades. The event raises money for ALS research and youth swim education programs across Chicago.

• Saks Fifth Avenue: After an incredible 97-year run on Michigan Avenue, Saks Fifth Avenue will be closing its flagship, seven-story store on Chicago’s Mag Mile. Saks originally opened in Chicago in 1929 and moved to the current location at 700 N Michigan Ave when Chicago Place was completed in 1991. Parent company Saks Global filed for bankruptcy in January, and this Chicago location is just one of a dozen Saks Fifth Avenue stores that will be closing.

• Brewery Merger: Two well-known Chicago craft breweries are joining forces. Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery announced plans to merge and form a new company, though both brands will continue operating under their current names. The move comes as the craft beer industry continues to shift, with breweries expanding into things like THC beverages, non-alcoholic drinks and restaurant concepts.

Just For Fun

• 312 Day: It’s 312 Day, Chicago! March 12 (aka 3/12) is a day to celebrate all things Chicago thanks to the city’s most popular area code (312), with a variety of celebrations, special offers, food and drink discounts, concert ticket deals and more. See the list of 312 Day Deals happening around Chicago today. Do312 is hosting a massive party (312 Day Bash) at Elston Electric with DJs, raffles, and prizes from 6 p.m. through midnight. RSVP for free entry.

• Pi(e) Day: Saturday, March 14 is Pi Day (3.14), and Chicago bakeries are ready to celebrate! Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits is a great place to order from, but they are shutting off Pi Day orders at 5 p.m. today. They have a special, one-day-only Chocolate Cake Shake Pie inspired by Portillo’s and a Frankenpie, a mix of six flavors. Another bakery we love is Vanille, and they are offering a $29.95 Pi(e) Day special with three options to choose from. Prefer a slice? First Slice Pie Cafe is doing $3.14 pie slices and $6.28 mini pies in-store only.

• PopUp Bagels: New York City’s famous PopUp Bagels is officially coming to Chicago this spring. The shop will open in Lincoln Park at 2321 N Lincoln Ave in the former Crumbl Cookies location. PopUp Bagels is also hosting a pop-up, no pun intended, at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in West Loop today (March 12) and tomorrow (March 13) until they sell out.

• NAIA: A massive new restaurant is set to join the Chicago Riverwalk this spring. NAIA, a 12,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor Mediterranean restaurant from DineAmic Hospitality, will be opening at 300 N LaSalle St underneath Chicago Cut Steakhouse. It will be an all-day restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and will be led by world-renowned chef and previous Top Chef winner Anthinagoras Kostakos.

• 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 2026. Where would you guess that Chicago ranks?!

Weekend Plans

• St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Did you know that Chicago hosts one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the country? The 2026 Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, March 14 and kicks off at 12:15 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.

• Hubbard Street Goes Green: River North’s massive outdoor St. Patrick’s Weekend Festival taking over Hubbard Street, will take place Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the heart of the action with 20+ DJs and live bands, a full festival stage, outdoor bars, food vendors, tented areas, merch and more. The event is open to the general public and free to enter.

• St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations: Additional fun St. Patrick’s Day celebrations this weekend include Shamrock & Roll on Division, Get Lucked, the 3rd Annual Avondale St. Patrick’s Parade with Chief O’Neill’s, Shamrock’n at Old St. Pat’s and the Irish American Heritage Center Festival.

• Big Ten Tournament: It’s a big week for college basketball as conference tournaments take place ahead of Selection Sunday this weekend. The men’s Big Ten Tournament is happening in Chicago at the United Center, with four games today and four more tomorrow. Two Saturday games will determine who plays in the championship on Sunday. See the full schedule and find tickets.

• Kincade’s Wrigley: In celebration of 40 years in Lincoln Park, Kincade’s, an iconic Chicago neighborhood bar, has opened a second location in Wrigleyville across from Wrigley Field in the former Lost Never Found space. The new location is currently in its soft-opening phase and is now open daily. They are celebrating tonight with $1 beers and a special appearance from a Chicago Bulls player from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last week, we asked you who you think makes Chicago’s best burger. Here are the rankings on how you voted:

1. Au Cheval

2. The Loyalist

3. Other

4. Little Bad Wolf

5. Mott Street

6. Red Hot Ranch

There were plenty of great responses in the “Other” category. Some of the places you shouted out included The Izakaya, Gretel, NADC, Fatso’s Last Stand and Leavitt Street.

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

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

• Sunrise: 7:07 a.m. (49 minutes later)

• Sunset: 6:53 p.m. (1 hour and 8 minutes later)

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