Thousands of Irish people were duped into attending a Halloween parade that didn’t happen.
Parade watchers reportedly lined the streets in Dublin after learning about a three-hour Halloween parade that boasted a “lively tapestry of costumes, artistic performances and cultural festivities,” news blog site Defector reported.
Thousands showed up only to find empty streets with no pageantry in sight.
Dublin resident Artur Williams shared a photo on X of people waiting for the parade to begin.
“People waiting for a halloween parade,” he wrote. “No Gardai around, no official announcement, people waiting on the wrong side of the road…
“Someone did pull a big #hoax.”
Ireland’s national police service worked to break up the crowd of people, stating on social media that “contrary to information being circulated online, no Halloween parade is scheduled to take place in Dublin city centre this evening or tonight.”
Defector reported online detectives later tracked down what spread the news of the non-parade: a Pakistan-based website that listed Halloween events that were real and made up.
The fake parade advertisement was apparently concocted with SEO bait tactics and AI content and was spread via social media throughout Dublin.