‘Aura farming’ sweeps Latin America as young people turn online trend into real-world contests

Dozens of young people recently gathered on a beach in Peru’s capital to dance, pose and show off their most creative moves. They were not there simply to have fun. They were competing for something increasingly valuable in the online world, aura.

The gathering was an “aura battle”, a real-world version of the internet trend known as “aura farming” that is spreading rapidly across Latin America.

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Dressed as characters from comic books and animated films, the competitors took part in dance battles, performing increasingly elaborate moves as the crowd cheered them on. The contestants who drew the loudest cheers and impressed the crowd with their creativity advanced to the next round.

One competitor dressed as Spider-Man performed forward rolls and push-ups as techno music played in the background. Another hopped on one leg while kicking the other forward, looking as if he had stepped out of a video game.

“Aura farming is about letting your essence flow in a place where people are watching you, but where there is no shame,” Liam González, a 20-year-old film student dressed as Shrek, told The Associated Press.

Gonzalo Cornelio, 19, came dressed as former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, wearing a grey tracksuit similar to the one worn by the deposed leader on the night he was captured by the U.S. military.

From video games to real life

Aura farming competitions first emerged in Brazil before spreading through social media. The trend has since moved offline, with teenagers and adults organising aura battles in cities across Latin America.

“It’s not about being popular,” María Paula Martínez, a professor in the arts faculty at Colombia’s Los Andes University, told AP. “It’s about showing off good vibes, and having others recognize that.”

The concept draws partly from video games, where characters can “farm” for points and rewards. In the real world, aura farmers are chasing something less tangible: good vibes and the recognition of an audience.

The word “aura” itself has roots in spiritual traditions, where it refers to an energy field believed to surround people.

Fernando Lícito, a 25-year-old Peruvian content creator, said aura battles differ from traditional competitions because participants do not touch or insult one another.

“They are simply farming their aura,” Lícito told AP. “And whoever gets the crowd to make more noise wins.”

Lícito said he saw a video in June of an aura farming contest in Brazil and decided to bring the idea to Peru. He has since organised three aura battles there.

The competitors frequently borrow from other internet and pop-culture trends. Some imitate soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark goal celebration, stretching their arms downward and shouting “siuu.” Others repeat the words “six, seven” while moving their hands.

The phenomenon has spread well beyond Peru. Aura battles have been held in Mexico City, Quito and Buenos Aires, where dozens of people recently staged a contest in front of the Argentine capital’s iconic Obelisk.

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The trend has also crossed the Atlantic, with events reported in Madrid, Burgos and Zaragoza in Spain.

Martínez said the movement is notable because something that began largely as an online phenomenon is now creating opportunities for young people to meet and socialise in physical spaces.

Not everyone is cheering

The rise of aura battles has not been universally welcomed.

Officials in Lima’s Miraflores district recently cancelled an aura farming event because organisers had not obtained the permits required to hold it in a public space.

In July, the mayor of Cuiaba, a city in southwestern Brazil, rejected permits for an aura tournament, saying the event was not in the public interest. Organisers subsequently moved it to a university campus.

Costa Rica’s education ministry has gone further, banning aura battles in public schools over concerns that they could lead to conflicts between students or disrupt learning.

Mexico, meanwhile, has taken a more welcoming approach. The country’s education minister posted a video embracing the trend, smiling as he said he was “farming good education” ahead of the new school year.

For González, the young aura farmer who dresses as Shrek, the appeal is simple. The hobby gives him a way to have fun, perform and express himself, even if his grandmother remains unconvinced.

“She thinks it’s silly,” González told AP. “We were born in a different era.”