Thousands of people flooded the streets of Dublin I was looking forward to a downtown Halloween parade, but it never happened.

Trimmed Dubliners had been fooled by a listing on an AI-generated website based in Pakistan that announced the spooky festival before the news spread quickly online.

The My Spirit Halloween website falsely advertised that the Macnas Halloween Parade would take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with interest in seeing news rankings on Google.

But when thousands of people appeared to gather along the road from Parnell Street to Christchurch Cathedral, it gradually became clear to those waiting that there was no event.

Peter Farrelly filmed video from his window of the crowds gathering on O’Connell Street, leaving a space along the road for the fake Halloween parade.

He said The Independent: “It was funny. We still smile now. It took about an hour from the start for people to

“Gardaí were trying to clear the street. Last night was also the Divali festival, so a lot of people were also on the streets.

The situation forced Gardaí to issue a message urging those waiting in O’Connell Street to “disperse safely”.

A spokesperson said: “Please note that contrary to information circulating online, there are no Halloween parades planned in Dublin city center this evening or tonight.

“All those who have gathered on O’Connell Street in anticipation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely.”

One participant said on X: “People are waiting for a Halloween parade. No Gardaí around, no official announcement, people waiting on the wrong side of the road… Someone fired a big shot prank.”

Another replied: “The real lesson here is that a lot of people would clearly attend a Halloween parade and Dublin City Council should organize one next year. »

Sinn Fein councilor Janice Boylan described the situation as “really sad”.

She added: “Everyone is trying to have a fun and safe Halloween. Having a parade to attend seemed really good. I know a very large number of people came. It’s really a shame.

My Spirit Halloween’s listing appears to have been removed Friday morning. The site hosts Halloween events around the world.

Award-winning performing arts group Macnas have held an annual Halloween parade in Dublin since 2013. Last year’s parade saw witches, zombie dancers and wolves stroll down Capel Street.

It was the first Halloween parade after a four-year hiatus due to lockdown – but there were no plans to hold one in 2024.