A sense of anticipation turned to confusion on the Rambla de Figueres on Friday evening as a crowd of around 400 people, composed mainly of teenagers, gathered for a planned meetup that ultimately never happened. The event, publicised on social media for the ‘therian’ community, ended in anticlimax when its organisers failed to appear, leaving a throng of hopeful attendees and curious onlookers to disperse.
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A TikTok account named ‘Therians Figueres’ called the gathering, scheduling it between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM along the city’s main pedestrian boulevard. This turnout highlights the growing visibility of the therian subculture, a community whose members identify on a personal, non-physical level as a non-human animal.
A Digital Call, A Physical Crowd
As the designated start time arrived, young people began to congregate on the Rambla de Figueres, a central hub in the Alt Empordà capital known more for its connection to surrealist artist Salvador Dalí than for niche subculture events. The crowd grew steadily, a mix of potential participants and spectators drawn by the online buzz. According to a report by Diari Catalunya, the atmosphere was one of expectation.
However, as time passed, it became clear that no formal event was taking place. There were no organisers to greet the crowd, no planned activities, and no central point of focus. Many in attendance were seen checking their mobile phones, presumably for updates that never came. By 7:00 PM, with no sign of the hosts, the crowd began to thin out, the planned two-hour meetup concluding without ever officially starting.
Understanding Therianthropy
The incident has cast a local spotlight on therianthropy, a phenomenon that has found a significant community on platforms like TikTok and Discord. A therian is an individual who experiences an integral identification as a non-human animal. This identity is not about a belief that one can physically transform, but rather an internal experience of having the spirit, instincts, or psyche of an animal. This is distinct from the ‘furry’ fandom, which is a hobby focused on anthropomorphic animal characters.
While the concept has existed for decades, social media has allowed disparate individuals to connect and form communities, fostering a shared identity and vocabulary. In Catalonia, these digital communities are increasingly leading to physical gatherings, as detailed in Barna.News’ exploration of Barcelona’s ‘therian’ community, where members meet in parks to socialise and perform ‘quadrobics’-a form of movement on all fours that mimics animal locomotion.
The Power and Pitfalls of Online Mobilisation
The no-show in Figueres serves as a curious example of the power of social media to mobilise large groups of people with minimal effort. A few online posts were sufficient to draw hundreds of young people to a specific location at a specific time. Yet, it also underscores the ephemeral and sometimes unreliable nature of such digitally-organised events.
It remains unclear why the organisers did not attend their own event or issue any public cancellation. Neither the local city council, the Ajuntament de Figueres, nor regional authorities have commented on the gathering, which remained peaceful and dispersed without incident. The failed meetup leaves behind a curious footnote in the city’s daily life-a ghost event brought to the brink of existence by a social media algorithm, only to vanish back into the digital ether.
