People in Dublin were left fuming after an organised street parade in the city centre turned out to be a complete hoax.
Gardai intervened to disperse a large crowd that had gathered on Dublin’s main thoroughfare for a non-existent Halloween parade on Thursday night.
Groups congregated on O’Connell Street on Halloween night after posts online suggested there would be a spectacle there from 7pm.
Eyewitness Artur Martins, posting a picture of the carnage on X, said: “People waiting for a halloween parade in Dublin. No Gardai around, no official announcement, people waiting on the wrong side of the road… Someone did pull a big hoax.”
Just before 8pm, Gardai posted on social media site X to appeal to people to leave.
The An Garda Siochana 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.
“All those gathered on O’Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely.”
It asked people to share the message and said officers would be patrolling O’Connell Street if assistance was needed.
Galway arts company Macnas held a parade around Halloween last year in both Galway city and Dublin city, but no plans to hold a Dublin performance were announced this year.