A long-held St. Patrick's Day tradition for the city continued Saturday as the mayor's office surprised residents by dyeing the river green for another year.
In an effort to curb crowd size due to the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor's office announced the event early Saturday morning with little notice to the public.
Take a look at the green Chicago River:
Photos: See the Chicago River Dyed Green Saturday in St. Patrick's Day Tradition
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Within about 20 minutes, the Chicago Plumber's Union began dyeing the water green at around 7 a.m.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Plumbers Union Local 130 there were no plans to dye the river this year.
Both Chicago St. Patrick's Day parades have been canceled for the second year in a row this March due to the coronavirus pandemic, city officials announced n February.
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Chicago officials are also warning anyone who may be hosting or celebrating St. Patrick's Day that guidelines are still in place and will be enforced.
The city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection revealed plans to increase investigations heading into the weekend "and respond to complaints to ensure business compliance."
Officials urged residents to continue following public health guidelines and to avoid large gatherings.
The city reminded residents that residential gatherings are limited to groups of no more than 10 people and restrictions for businesses remain in place.
