A ghost parade for Halloween sounds like the perfect way to mark the spookiest day of the year.
But unfortunately for the people of Dublin, it wasn’t the participants who were eerie phantasms that disappeared upon contact with reality – it was the parade itself.
Large crowds gathered in the centre of the Irish capital last night after a fake website promoted an event on O’Connell Street to mark October 31.
The penny only appeared to drop when they encountered furious bus and tram drivers who were unable to get through the hundreds of locals looking for a creepy night out.
Eventually, the gardai had to be called out to get a handle on the situation.
The Irish police later posted on X: ‘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 witness told Dublin Live: ‘There were people everywhere, and the bus and tram drivers were going mad honking non-stop so they could pass.’
The confusion appears to have originated from a website called My Spirit Halloween, which features an apparently AI-generated list of events in the Dublin area.
It says: ‘This year’s parade promises to be a spectacular display of creativity and festive spirit, kicking off the Halloween celebrations in style.
‘The event is expected to run for approximately three hours, ensuring plenty of time to enjoy the thrilling performances and elaborate floats.’
According to the site, the parade – ‘a standout event in Dublin’s Halloween calendar’ – would begin at Parnell Square and continue down O’Connell Street before finishing at Temple Bar.
It is unclear how the site spread widely enough to convince hundreds to turn out.
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However, the bot-generated nature of the event is reminiscent of the instant-classic Willy Wonka Experience that took place in Glasgow nine months ago – also sold with plenty of help from AI.
In September, there was similar disappoinment for Bridgerton fans who turned up to a themed ball that featured a scantily clad pole dancer and lone violinist in place of the promised orchestra.
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