How to host an aura battle (at school, a party or a plaza)

A practical guide to running an aura battle: format, judging, music, rules that keep it fun, what organisers in Mexico City, La Plata and Madrid did, and how to run the online version on a TV.

Every big aura battle in 2026 was organised by someone in their late teens or early twenties with a speaker, a phone and a comment section. Here's the playbook they converged on.

Before

1. Pick a spot with a natural circle. Plazas, park lawns, a gym, a living room with the furniture pushed back. The crowd is the arena.
2. Announce it where your people are. Organisers used an Instagram or TikTok post with sign-ups in the comments, then a WhatsApp group for logistics (La Plata's had about 120 people). Madrid vetted entrants to make sure they were real and local.
3. Decide the format. Direct elimination is standard. Sixteen fighters is four rounds and about an hour. Thirty-two is an afternoon.
4. Set three rules and say them out loud. No contact. No insults. No talking during your turn (sounds like "Siuuu" are fine).
5. Music. Phonk. Ogryzek's "AURA" is the unofficial anthem. The full soundtrack.
6. A prize that isn't money. "Aura infinita" worked in Buenos Aires. A trophy from a discount store works everywhere. If you do cash, keep it small; Mexico City ran 3,000 pesos.

During

• An MC paces it. Call fighters in, count them down, call time. The World Aura Battle Federation's suggested length is about ten exchanges per battle with no stopwatch; street events run one to two minutes.
• Turns, not chaos. One performs, one waits. The waiting fighter's stillness is part of their score.
• Judging. For small events, applause decides and the MC reads the room. For bigger ones, three judges scoring 0–10 on presence, creativity and confidence (Brazil used aura, ego and creativity). The WABF mix is judges 75%, phone vote 15%, crowd 10%.
• Themed rounds keep it fresh. Brazil's "cold villain", "supreme aura" and "cringe or genius" rounds are a good template.
• Side awards. Best entrance, best outfit, "rey del deboche" (king of mockery). They give losers something to win.

After

Post the bracket and the winner. Tag the fighters. The clips are the promotion for the next one.

Keeping it kind

Schools that restricted battles cited mockery and exclusion, not danger. Three things fix most of it: the no-insults rule, side awards so more people win something, and an MC who shuts down a crowd that turns on a loser. Costa Rica's education ministry asked schools to judge specific conduct, not the game. What parents and schools should know.

Running it online, on a screen

For a party or a classroom, Aura Battles works as the scoreboard:

1. Open the game on a laptop connected to a TV and create a battle. You get a six-character code and a QR.
2. Two fighters scan it on their phones and accept. Everyone else scans it and watches — there's no limit on spectators.
3. The TV is the table. Every round the ante drops, one fighter leads with a move and the other answers it: the bigger move takes the pot, and on the same size it's a tie and both antes go back. If both pass, nobody wins and the antes go back too — so every pot is decided right there, which is the bit the room shouts at.
4. A match is about 15 rounds, two and a half minutes. When a fighter can't cover the ante they're out and the survivor takes the table. The result shows the match round by round, and AGAIN is one press — so a bracket moves fast.

Two rules to say out loud before the first match and nothing else needs explaining: the bigger move wins, and you can always pass.

Create the room. No accounts, and it works on any phone.

FAQ

How long should an aura battle be?

One to two minutes per duel. A sixteen-person bracket takes about an hour.

How do you judge an aura battle?

Crowd noise for small events. For tournaments, three judges scoring presence, creativity and confidence from 0 to 10.

What do you need to host one?

A space with a circle, a speaker with phonk, an MC, three rules, and a prize that doesn't need to be money.

Can I run an aura battle at school?

Yes, with the no-insults rule and a teacher or MC who keeps the crowd from turning on the loser. The online version avoids faces and chat entirely.

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