Photos

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - In honour of the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Chicago River is dyed green at 9 a.m. on the morning of the parade—always held the Saturday prior to or coinciding with the holiday.
PHOTOGRAPH BY RAYMOND BOYD/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - At 120 metres, the London Eye—also known as the Millennium Wheel—is Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel. It is lit with green lights on March 17 in honour of Ireland’s patron saint.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL BROWN, ALAMY LIVE NEWS

NEW YORK CITY - In the midst of a busy lighting schedule, the Empire State Building takes on hues of green, white, and orange every March 17. The building changes its lights for sporting events, holidays, and other occasions throughout the course of the year.
PHOTOGRAPH MIHAI ANDRITOIU, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL- The 30-metre-tall statue Christ the Redeemer, perhaps Brazil’s most iconic site, is lit in green atop Corcovado mountain for St. Patrick’s Day.
PHOTOGRAPH BY YASUYOSHI CHIBA, AFP, GETTY IMAGES

PARIS, FRANCE - Sacré Coeur Basilica, a Roman Catholic church located near Paris’s highest point, was built over the course of more than 40 years. Like many other landmarks, both Catholic and otherwise, it is illuminated in green for St. Patrick’s Day.
PHOTOGRAPH BY AFP PHOTO, THOMAS SAMSON

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - Running past the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, the Vilnia River is dyed every year in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. Here, onlookers watch as the river turns green.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETRAS MALUKAS,AFP,GETTY IMAGES

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA- While many landmarks “go green” for free, others charge Tourism Ireland to do so. In 2014, the Sydney Opera House reportedly charged 8,000 euros—more than any other landmark.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD MILNES, ALAMY LIVE NEWS

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - Savannah is known for having one of the best St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. Part of the city’s festivities is the annual “Greening of the Fountain”—dying green the main fountain in Forsyth Park.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JT BLATTY, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This fountain on the south lawn of the White House takes on a green hue each March as the United States’ presidential residence celebrates St. Patrick’s Day.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSHUA ROBERTS/GETTY IMAGES

CAIRO, EGYPT- In 2013, Egypt's greatest landmarks—the Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx—were illuminated by green floodlights for St. Patrick's Day for the first time.
PHOTOGRAPH BY B.O'KANE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO