Pakistan-based website pranks thousands for ‘non-existent’ Halloween parade in Dublin, owner apologises

Days after the Halloween parade prank at Dublin's O’Connell Street went wrong, Pakistan-based website creator – that advertised a non-existent Halloween parade – has publicly apologised to everyone, stating 'it was a mistake'.

The Pakistan-based website in its statement said that they had no intention of pranking people who gathered in excitement and it was a misunderstanding which resulted in the rapid spread of misinformation leading up to October 31.

Identified himself as Nazir Ali, the man behind the website, spoke to The Irish Times and said that it was not his or his business’s intention to mislead people.

“It was our fault; we should have confirmed it before publishing,” Hindustan Times quoted Ali as saying to The Irish Times. He added, "However, claims that we intentionally posted false information are completely inaccurate."

What happened on 31 October?

On 31 October, thousands flocked to O’Connell Street in the hope of attending a fun Halloween parade. But later, they learnt from Garda and other sources that the event was never going to take place.

As per details, the website is maintained by a team of content creators who work remotely from various countries.

Apart from the Pakistani website, several other individuals and businesses shared the announcement, which appeared in Google searches before Halloween.

However, by 8 p.m., Garda confirmed the parade's absence via its social media post and urged attendees to disperse.

However, Ali still claimed that his website had accurately reported numerous events in Ireland, including St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

Stating that he has never faced similar issues before, Ali claimed he had no advance knowledge of the parade's cancellation. “Had we been informed earlier, we would have taken it down. No one reached out to us,” he added.

Ali mentioned, among other things, that his website ranks highly among Halloween-related information on Google, and this was the only misleading article.

“We feel deeply embarrassed and sincerely regret this incident,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, a Garda spokesperson confirmed there would be no investigation since no criminal offences were reported. They advised the public always to confirm event details through trusted sources.