Thousands of people lined the streets of Dublin eagerly anticipating a Halloween Parade through the city centre – but it never arrived.
The decked-out Dubliners had been tricked by a listing on a AI-generated website based in Pakistan that announced the spooky festival before news of it quickly spread online.
The My Spirit Halloween website falsely advertised the Macnas Halloween Parade would take place from 7pm to 9pm, with interest in it seeing the news ranking on Google.
But when thousands appeared to turn up to line the route from Parnell Street to Christchurch Cathedral, it slowly became clear to those waiting that there was no event.
Peter Farrelly shot video from his window of the crowds gathering at O’Connell Street leaving space along the road for the fake Halloween Parade.
He told The Independent: “It was funny. We are still smiling now. It took about an hour from the start time for people
“The Gardaí were trying to clear the street. It was also the festival of Divali last night so a lot of people were out on the street as well.”
The situation forced The Gardaí to put out a message for those waiting on O’Connell Street to “disperse safely”.
A spokesperson said: “Please be advised that contrary to information being circulated online, no Halloween parade is scheduled to take place in Dublin city centre this evening or tonight.
“All those gathered on O’Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely.”
One attendee said on X: “People waiting for a Halloween parade. No Gardaí around, no official announcement, people waiting on the wrong side of the road…Someone did pull a big hoax.”
Another replied: “The real lesson to be learned here is that a lot of people would clearly attend a Halloween parade and Dublin City Council should organise one next year.”
Sinn Fein councillor Janice Boylan said described the situation as “really sad”.
She added: “Everyone is trying to have a fun and safe Halloween. Having a parade to go to sounded really good. I know an awful lot of people turned up. It’s a terrible pity.”
The My Spirit Halloween listing appeared to have been taken down on Friday morning. The site curates Halloween events spanning the globe.
Award-winning performing arts group Macnas have been holding an annual Halloween Parade in Dublin since 2013, with last year’s parade seeing witches, zombie dancers and wolves shuffling down Capel Street.
It was the first Halloween Parade after a four year hiatus over lockdown – but there were no plans for one in 2024.
