Joe Harker
Halloween is a big chance for a party and you really don't want to waste the day by turning out for an event that ends up being more of a whimper than a bang.
Even worse than a whimper is showing up to a party that isn't even going on and finding out that you wasted your evening on something that doesn't actually exist.
Sadly for a bunch of people living in Dublin, last night (31 October) they turned up for a Halloween parade only to discover that no such thing was happening.
According to the Irish Times, a website called My Spirit Halloween claimed that there would be a parade from 7pm to 10pm in the Irish capital, starting at Parnell Square and ending up at Temple Bar.
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The site claimed that the parade was being put on by Galway arts company Macnas, which had put on a Halloween parade in Dublin last year, but had announced they wouldn't be doing it again this year.
Hundreds of people at least showed up for this parade and stood out on the streets before officials had to tell them there was nothing of the sort scheduled to take place in the city centre that night.
The Gardai took to social media to try and sort out the falsehoods around this purported parade, particularly since hundreds of people taking to the streets to wait for it was causing some travel disruption.
The crowds had gathered on O'Connell street, which has got buses and a tram line running through it so is definitely not where you'd want a whole bunch of people to show up and start waiting.
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This non-existent parade was supposed to kick off at about 7pm and around an hour later, officials attempted to get the word out that they were standing out in the cold for nothing.
An Garda Siochana X account said: “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.
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“All those gathered on O’Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely.”
According to The Independent, the My Spirit Halloween website appeared to have been removed on Friday (1 November) morning.
Plenty hopped onto social media to talk about the 'hoax', with some finding the results 'very funny' and others being rather worried that so many people got duped and how that misinformation might be used for more nefarious purposes.
A few others suggested that so many folks showing up to this fake Halloween parade might indicate that the fine citizens of Dublin would perhaps have liked the city to put one on for them.
Something to think about for next year's Halloween, perhaps.