'Embarrassed' Pakistani firm apologises for Halloween parade misinformation in Dublin

A Pakistan-based company has apologised after a Halloween parade listing on its website mistakenly led thousands of Dubliners to gather on O'Connell Street for a parade that didn’t exist.

Crowds had lined both sides of Dublin’s main thoroughfare Thursday night, expecting a procession of giant Halloween puppets by Galway’s well-known performance group Mácnas.

But as time passed with no parade in sight, Dublin police began dispersing the crowds, prompting confusion and suspicion of a scam.

The listing, posted by the My Spirit Halloween website, was quickly shared across social media platforms.

But Nazir Ali, the man behind the website, clarified it was a “human error” after a team member mistakenly reposted details from a previous year's event.

“We are highly embarrassed and very sorry,” Ali told the Irish Times, calling the incident unintentional.

Footage from the scene showed crowds packing the streets five to 10 people deep. The disruption even blocked the Luas tramlines, intensifying the impact of the error.

Film-maker Bertie Brosnan, who was on-site, documented the crowds, noting they extended from Parnell Square West down O’Connell Street.

While the blunder sparked laughter on social media, it also raised concerns over misinformation and AI deepfakes. Gary Gannon, a Social Democrat member of parliament, noted the risks posed by online disinformation, comparing it to deepfake images of prominent figures. “This shows how easily misinformation can spread,” he told RTÉ, cautioning about the future implications of unverified content.