Watch How The Chicago River is Dyed Green For St. Patrick's Day

The City of Chicago celebrated St. Patrick's Day this weekend. St. Patrick's Day in Chicago is normally filled with all the green, parades, drinking, and river dying. This year celebrations were put on hold, but one tradition was still in full effect. The river dying!

The iconic green river flows through the city during the weekend for people to take pictures around. Or, if you're bold enough, you might just kayak right through it.

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Dying the Chicago river is a TASK. It's not as simple as dropping some giant food dye off a bridge. The city has it down to a science now. And the drone videos and time lapses that come come afterwards are almost as good as the river itself.

That's a lot of dye. Just how much is it though? Thrillist details -

The Plumbers Union pours in about 40 pounds of the powdered dye (which is actually orange until it's mixed in). Fun fact: The crew once used 100 pounds back in 1962, and the river was green for an entire week. After that, they lowered it to 25 pounds, and it's now back up to 40 as the recipe has been perfected.

Even though the recipe is secret, Plumbers Union does maintain that the concoction is environmentally friendly, so rest easy. The river stays green for around 24 to 48 hours.

Fun fact, they've been dying the river to celebrate St. Patrick's Day since 1962 in Chicago. One more time lapse, it's just so satisfying to watch.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

H/T ABC