All trick no treat - “Hoax” Halloween parade draws big crowds to Dublin’s O’Connell St

Ireland's police force An Garda Síochána was forced to issue a statement on Thursday night, October 31 - Halloween - as crowds of people gathered on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

"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," the Irish police force said.

"All those gathered on O’Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely."

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Several social media posts on Thursday evening posted about the crowds gathering on Dublin's O'Connell Street waiting for a Halloween parade that would never come.

X user @arturmartins shared this photo which illustrated the size of the crowd.

Another X user, @liam_b02, shared a clip of the crowds on O'Connell Street taken from a passing bus:

Meanwhile, the Luas was disrupted due to the unexpected gathering, with Red Line services not running from from Smithfield to The Point and Green Line services not running between St. Stephen's Green and Dominick. 

However, the disruptions were brief, with social media posts from Luas showing that the stoppages were resolved in less than an hour.

On Thursday evening, a Google search of  "Dublin Halloween parade" returned a top result for a website called MySpiritHalloween.com.

A post, dated October 30, on the site said in part: "The Dublin Halloween Parade follows a well-planned route that ensures maximum visibility and excitement. It typically starts at Parnell Square, proceeds down O’Connell Street, and concludes at Temple Bar.

"The parade usually begins in the late afternoon, with festivities continuing into the evening. To get the most out of the experience, arriving early to secure a good viewing spot is recommended, as the parade attracts large crowds and popular sections fill up quickly."

However, smaller text interspersed throughout the lengthy post said "Dublin Halloween Parade is cancelled!" It is unclear when the cancellation message was added to the post.

Discussing the fake site, Marty Meany wrote on the tech website Goosed.ie: "The website likely uses AI to create content quickly and cheaply where opportunities are found. Unfortunately for Dubliners, Dublin was picked this year."

Indeed, the "About Us" section on MySpiritHalloween.com shows what appear to be AI-generated photos of the site's "Halloween writers."

While there was no Halloween parade on Dublin's O'Connell Street, locals and visitors alike were spoiled for choice for Halloween happenings with several events organized by Dublin City Council.