Time-Lapse Video Shows Chicago River Going Green For St. Patrick's Day

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In the event that you missed out on (or intentionally avoided) joining the masses downtown for the time-honored tradition of dyeing the Chicago River for the city's St. Patrick's Day celebrations over the weekend, you can still get a pretty great look at the river changing green for the occasion thanks to this time-lapse video posted to YouTube on Saturday.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the tradition of changing the river from its typical dark, murky green color to a cheerful, bright green for St. Patrick's Day originated in 1962 thanks to then-Mayor Richard J. Daley and Stephen M. Bailey, who was the chairman of the St. Patrick's Day parade. The dye formula, while said to be environmentally-friendly, is a secret, and it takes about 45 minutes to complete the dye job, according to the paper.

(h/t Chicagoist)

Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and fondly remembers the massive St. Patrick's Day celebrations he saw while living in Chicago, but he doesn't fondly remember the traffic. Send news tips to him at tony@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.