Dublin Halloween parade hoax dupes thousands into packing Ireland capital's streets for nothing

Thousands of people gathered in Dublin, Ireland on Thursday night for a Halloween parade that was never going to happen. Videos and photos posted on social media showed large crowds gathered in central Dublin, but it appears they were all duped by what appears to have been an elaborate online hoax. 

"People waiting for a Halloween parade," one social media user posted Thursday, with a photo showing crowds lining Dublin's O'Connell Street, a main avenue in the capital. 

They noted that there were no police or event staff on the scene, and "no official announcement, people waiting on the wrong side of the road," concluding: "Someone did pull a big #hoax #Prank."