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Chicago Is No Good at St. Patrick's Day, These (Ridiculous) Rankings Say

By Kelly Bauer | March 10, 2016 5:35am
 Cynara Martin stands on the Columbus Drive bridge as members of the plumbers union dye the Chicago River green for St. Patricks Day on March 17, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The River was first dyed green in 1962 and has become a St. Patrick's Day tradition in Chicago.
Cynara Martin stands on the Columbus Drive bridge as members of the plumbers union dye the Chicago River green for St. Patricks Day on March 17, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The River was first dyed green in 1962 and has become a St. Patrick's Day tradition in Chicago.
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Brian Kersey/Getty Images

DOWNTOWN — We host multiple parades, guzzle Guinness and dye our river green, but Chicago doesn't crack the rankings for the top 10, 20 ... or even 30 cities in which to spend St. Patrick's Day.

Nope, we're sitting at 33, according to WalletHub.

How did that happen? Isn't Chicago supposed to be famous for its green river, Green River, Irish population and parades?

Ahead of us is Gilbert, Ariz., at No. 9. We searched around and we don't even think they have St. Patrick's Day events. In fact, we looked at the town's March 2015 newsletter and they mention people going to Chicago to see the river being dyed for St. Patrick's Day. The people of Gilbert (reminder: No. 9 to our 33) don't even want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Gilbert.

WHATEVER, RANKINGS: Here's When The Chicago River Will Be Dyed Green For St. Patrick's Day

What about Chesapeake, Va., which just edged us out at No. 32? You can't have a conversation about St. Patrick's Day without talking about Chesapeake, Va., right?

Well, this St. Patrick's Day you can celebrate by attending a Women's Chamber of Commerce Membership meeting. Looking to have fun the weekend before? Head to a lecture on the 1864 Battle at Suffolk.

We're not kidding.

What's dragging Chicago's ranking down? It scores high for traditions, safety and accessibility and even weather, but the city ends up in dead last when it comes to cost.

How Irish is Chicago? St. Patrick's Day Traditions Part of City's History

To measure how costly it is to celebrate St. Paddy's Day in Chicago, experts looked at the price of potatoes, the cheapest three-star hotel room you can find and the average price for a holiday party ticket. The survey says we've got pricier-than-average tickets for St. Patrick's Day parties. Details weren't immediately provided on how costly our potatoes are.

WalletHub also factored in how much a six-pack of Heineken costs because, as we all know, everyone loves drinking imported Dutch beer for St. Patrick's Day. It turns out Chicago's average beer price ($14.04) is the most expensive among the 100 cities on the list, according to WalletHub.

At least Chicago's got the most St. Patrick's Day parties and festivals per capita, according to WalletHub.

Oh, wait. We're tied with Kansas City and St. Louis.

Great.

Source: WalletHub

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