A new social media trend has jumped from TikTok screens into the streets of Ibiza, with hundreds of young people gathering to take part in so-called "aura battles".

The phenomenon, known as "aura farming", has recently appeared across the Balearic Islands, with the largest gatherings reported in Palma, Santa Eulària and Maó.

In Ibiza, around 200 young people gathered in Santa Eulària this week for what is believed to be the first organised aura battle on the island.

The events are not traditional fights. Instead, participants face each other and attempt to impress the surrounding crowd through poses, dances, gestures, costumes and references to internet memes.

What Is Aura Farming?

The phrase combines two pieces of internet and gaming language.

"Farming" comes from video games, where players repeatedly perform actions to accumulate resources, experience or points.

"Aura" is used by young people online as a humorous measure of charisma, confidence, style or general coolness.

Put the two together and "aura farming" means deliberately doing something that makes you appear more impressive.

There is no real scoreboard or official measurement system. The "points" are imaginary and form part of the joke.

Someone who pulls off an unexpectedly confident or funny move can supposedly gain thousands of aura points, while an embarrassing moment can result in a dramatic loss.

The Trend Has Crossed From TikTok Into Real Life

What started as internet slang has developed into real-world gatherings.

Young people now organise informal "aura battles" in public spaces, with participants competing directly in front of groups of spectators.

The format has already spread internationally, with similar events reported in Latin America and elsewhere before reaching Spain.

Recent coverage has described aura battles as a largely non-violent form of self-expression in which participants use viral internet references, physical comedy and confidence to entertain the crowd.

Around 200 Young People Gather in Santa Eulària

The trend arrived in Ibiza on Monday, when approximately 200 young people gathered along the Paseo de la Solidaridad in Santa Eulària.

The event was promoted through social media and required neither tickets nor a major formal venue.

Participants simply gathered in the public space, forming a circle around the competitors while spectators watched and recorded the performances on their phones.

The event lasted for several hours and attracted a surprisingly large crowd for a trend that originated almost entirely online.

No Fighting Allowed

Despite the word "battle", the Santa Eulària event was not about physical confrontation.

The rules were deliberately simple.

Fighting and bullying were prohibited, while participants were encouraged to improvise, pose, dance, dress up or create an impressive entrance.

The objective was to make the audience react.

There were no categories based on age, gender or weight, and the matchups could involve boys competing against girls, girls against girls or boys against boys.

Manu and Alison Opened the Ibiza Battle

The first duel in Santa Eulària involved Manu, who was wearing a Hulk mask, and Alison, who competed without a mask.

After that opening matchup, further participants entered the circle and performed for the crowd.

The audience's reaction was the key element.

Instead of a conventional jury, cheers, laughter and applause effectively determined which performance had generated the most "aura".

The Audience Is the Judge

There is no universal rulebook governing aura battles.

Some organised events may set their own rules or prizes, but there is no recognised international scoring system.

The crowd is generally the closest thing to a judge.

A participant who manages to surprise the audience with a viral reference, a dramatic pose or an unexpectedly confident move can receive loud approval.

That reaction is effectively interpreted as gaining aura.

Viral Gestures Become Competition Moves

Much of the humour comes from recognising internet culture.

Among the gestures that have become popular in aura battles are "mewing", the "Siuuu" celebration associated with Cristiano Ronaldo, the "6-7" meme and the returning "dab".

Some performances combine several of these references in rapid succession.

The ability to recognise the references is therefore almost as important as performing them.

For spectators who are familiar with TikTok culture, a seemingly random gesture can instantly become the funniest moment of the battle.

Confidence Is Part of the Game

Aura farming is not simply about doing something unusual.

The performer is expected to make the action look effortless.

That is part of the joke behind the trend.

Someone who appears completely confident while performing an exaggerated move may gain "aura", while someone who looks nervous or embarrassed could supposedly lose it.

Even laughing at the wrong moment, tripping or breaking character can become part of the imaginary score.

Mallorca Has Already Held a 300-Person Event

Ibiza is not the first Balearic island to embrace the trend.

Mallorca held what was described as its first Campeonato de Farmeo de Aura on August 30, with around 300 people gathering between Plaça d'Espanya and Parc de Ses Estacions in Palma.

The organised competition had a maximum of 16 participants.

Registrations cost a symbolic €1, while the winner received a €25 prize.

There was no traditional judging panel. The spectators' reactions effectively determined who had the strongest aura.

The Trend Had Already Appeared in Mallorca

The August 30 event was not actually Mallorca's first aura gathering.

Four days earlier, dozens of young people had already met at Parc de Ses Estacions for similar informal duels.

Videos from those gatherings quickly spread across TikTok under hashtags connected to aura battles.

The rapid growth from dozens of participants to a much larger organised event demonstrates how quickly social media trends can transform into physical gatherings.

Menorca Has Joined Too

Menorca has also seen its first aura gatherings.

Around 70 teenagers, reportedly aged between 12 and 15, took part in an event at Parc des Freginal.

The beginning was reportedly slow, with participants initially reluctant to enter the centre of the group.

Once the first competitors stepped forward, however, the battles became increasingly energetic.

Another gathering was subsequently planned in Ciutadella.

The trend has therefore reached all three of the main Balearic islands featured in the recent reports: Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca.

The Trend's International Roots

Although the Balearic gatherings are new, aura farming is not.

The expression was already circulating online before the recent street battles.

Records of the phrase date back to at least January 2024 on TikTok, while the wider concept became increasingly popular through social media and meme culture.

The trend then gained much wider attention in 2025 following viral footage of Indonesian child performer Rayyan Arkan Dikha dancing on the bow of a traditional racing boat during Indonesia's Pacu Jalur festival.

The calm, highly confident performance became a global meme and helped establish the visual language associated with aura farming.

Why the Trend Appeals to Young People

Part of the attraction is its simplicity.

Participants do not need expensive equipment, a formal venue or professional skills.

A public space, a group of friends and a familiarity with internet culture are enough.

That makes aura battles easy to organise and easy to reproduce.

They also provide an opportunity for young people to perform in front of their peers without the competitive pressure associated with traditional sport.

The emphasis is on creativity, confidence and humour.

Social Media Still Plays a Central Role

Even when the battles happen physically, TikTok remains part of the event.

Participants and spectators record the performances on their phones, creating new videos that can then circulate online.

Those videos can inspire another gathering somewhere else.

The relationship between online and offline culture is therefore almost circular.

TikTok creates the trend, the trend produces a real-world gathering, the gathering produces new videos and those videos encourage even more people to participate.

A Modern Form of Street Performance

There is also an argument that aura battles can be understood as a contemporary form of informal street performance.

The structure resembles older traditions of dance battles, comedy performances and other public contests, but the content is now shaped by social media memes.

Instead of learning a traditional routine, participants learn the visual language of TikTok.

Instead of a formal jury, they rely on the immediate reaction of a crowd.

And instead of trophies, the central reward is often simply the status of having "more aura".

Not Everything Has to Be Serious

The trend also reflects a lighter side of youth culture.

The participants are essentially turning internet jokes into a real-world game.

The imaginary points, exaggerated performances and deliberately ridiculous references are all part of the humour.

There is no genuine sporting ranking and no universally accepted champion.

The appeal comes from participation and the shared understanding of the joke.

Public Spaces Become the Stage

One of the most notable aspects of the phenomenon is where the events take place.

Santa Eulària's Paseo de la Solidaridad became the stage for around 200 young people, while Palma's gathering occupied public spaces around the city's transport and central areas.

This gives the events a spontaneous appearance, even when the gatherings have been promoted online in advance.

For local communities, however, large public gatherings can also raise ordinary questions around pedestrian space, noise, crowd management and public safety.

The Santa Eulària event was reported as a peaceful gathering, with fighting and bullying specifically prohibited.

Ibiza Gets Its Own Version

The Santa Eulària gathering demonstrates that Ibiza's young population is not simply consuming global internet trends but adapting them locally.

The event did not require an entertainment venue or major organiser.

Instead, young people used social media to create their own meeting and entertainment format.

That is an increasingly common characteristic of youth culture, where online communities can mobilise participants in physical spaces remarkably quickly.

Will Aura Farming Last?

As with most viral internet trends, it is impossible to know how long aura farming will remain popular.

Internet culture moves quickly, and today's dominant meme can disappear within weeks.

The physical gatherings suggest, however, that the trend has already moved beyond a purely online phenomenon.

Once a trend becomes a social activity, it can develop its own local traditions and communities even after the original meme begins to fade.

Ibiza's first battle may therefore not be its last.

From Screen to Santa Eulària

The arrival of aura farming in Ibiza is another example of how quickly global digital culture can reach the island.

Around 200 young people gathered in Santa Eulària to perform poses, dances, memes and exaggerated gestures, turning an internet joke into a real-world event.

Similar gatherings have already attracted hundreds in Mallorca and dozens in Menorca.

There is no official aura scoreboard, no professional competition and no physical combat.

Just young people, a crowd, viral references and an imaginary currency of coolness.

For now, that appears to be more than enough to turn "aura" into the latest youth trend on the streets of the Balearic Islands.