Fans pour out of a stadium after a game. Shoppers surge through a store on Black Friday. A crowd is a temporary gathering of people in close proximity, usually sharing a common focus or purpose. It is not a group in the sociological sense because members may not interact personally or share a lasting identity.

Early theorists like Gustave Le Bon described crowds as irrational and contagious. Later research showed that crowds are often orderly. People follow informal norms, help strangers, and coordinate without a leader. The danger comes when density, confusion, or a sudden threat triggers panic or stampede.

Types of crowds

• Casual: people in the same place by coincidence
• Conventional: gathered for a scheduled event
• Expressive: formed to express emotion, like at a concert
• Acting: focused on a goal, sometimes aggressive
• Protest: organized to voice dissent

Crowd behavior depends on context. A crowd at a religious festival behaves differently from a crowd at a political rally. Physical space, leadership, and shared emotion all shape outcomes.