A Halloween ghost parade sounds like an ideal way to celebrate the spookiest day of the year. However, Dubliners who anticipated such an event were in for a surprise—not because of spooky figures vanishing into thin air, but because the parade itself was nowhere to be found.
Excited crowds gathered in Dublin’s city center after a false online ad promoted a Halloween parade on O’Connell Street for October 31. Only when they faced irate bus and tram drivers, who couldn’t navigate through the large crowds, did people start realizing something was amiss.
As confusion spread, the Dublin police were eventually called to disperse the gathering.
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.
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 disappointment 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.
