Crowds Pack Cheesman Park for Denver Aura Battle

The art and activist collective Trash Heap hosted Denver’s first aura battle on Saturday, November 7, drawing hundreds of spectators to Cheesman Park. The event, which the group promoted on Instagram a week prior, accumulated more than 40,000 likes before the showdown began. Competitors took turns displaying charisma and style in front of a crowd that packed the Cheeseman Park Pavilion.

JoJo Truant, the collective’s head emcee, described the gathering as a way to adapt a Latin American trend for a local audience. "We’re taking a Latin American trend, aura battles, and using it to restore our confidence in a multicultural way across the community," Truant said. She noted that the group’s work focuses on politics and art while maintaining an anti-tech and pro-human stance.

Participants included a wide variety of performers, ranging from wizards and furries to fashion enthusiasts and pets. Some competitors performed backflips or TikTok dances, while others stood in the center of the arena. Judges evaluated the battles based on the feeling the performance evoked rather than a fixed set of rules. A referee explained that the experience relies on the reaction of the judges and the audience.

DJ Echo Quon, one of the competitors, compared her performance to a fashion week event. She said she wanted to reset after Halloween and enjoyed battling other women in stylish outfits. Her friend, Matrix Jones, added that the competition featured voguing, splits, and other physical displays, calling the afternoon beautiful.

A group known as The Banana Boys, consisting of four men in banana costumes, also performed. Three members circled a fourth as he executed a backflip, but the group lost to a wizard who played a harmonica during the battle. The lead member of the group joked that they started strong but had to split after a blunder, though they managed to energize the crowd.

The event also featured animals, including Louie, a six-year-old Pomeranian, and his owner Elena. Elena stated that two of her friends competed while Louie was sent in with them. She noted that her friends were wearing Rick Owens, while Louie was not. Carl Schmidt, a runner-up from season 8 of "Love Island USA," was among the spectators watching the proceedings.

Aura battles originally gained popularity in Latin America, where competitors perform stunts and dance moves in public spaces for crowds to cheer. Trash Heap aimed to use the format to engage the community and respond to current political tensions. Truant mentioned that some people in the country are shifting the narrative away from immigrant struggles and that ICE is tearing families apart.

The collective stated that the city did not want them to hold permit-less events, but they proceeded with the gathering to restore community confidence. Trash Heap has organized several community events this year, including a ritual to release unredacted Epstein files and a declaration of Cheesman Park as the nation of Gurtlandia. The group also helped organize the Denver No Kings Protest.

Truant concluded by emphasizing that the event was primarily about fun and spreading love. The next Denver Aura Battle is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, at Cheesman Park. Interested parties can follow the collective on Instagram at @xxtrashheapxx for further details.