People dressed in oversized animal heads meet by the banks of Brisbane's South Bank weekly, offering a haven for the shy and socially awkward.

The South Bank Fur Meet encourages people who identify as "furries" to come together to socialise as well as entertain the public.

The group has more than 60 members and meets every Tuesday evening.

Organiser Callam Walter said many of the members attended to help them overcome social anxiety.

"A furry is someone who represents themselves better as an animal than a human being," he said.

"Many of the people in the group have social anxiety and it allows them to dress up and be themselves.

"You can be yourself and no-one has to know who you are underneath."

Members dress in characters they believe represent their personality. ( Supplied: South Bank Fur Meet )

Familiar characters at the weekly meet include Orchid the dragon, Sky the wolf dog, Skittles the dog and Kanaka the shark dragon.

"Our motivation has been about representing ourselves and getting out there," Mr Walter said.

"We take photos and have fun and also have a barbecue and socialise and after that we meet other people and entertain the public.

"We take a group photo of everyone each week and it's a good way to show what we did that night."

Costumes that resemble sharks, wolves, dogs and numerous pop culture characters are worn. ( Supplied: South Bank Fur Meet )

Mr Walter first experienced "furry fandom" three years ago when a friend took him along to a meet.

"When you come to the meet for the first time you're a little deterred, but then you hug a fuzzy animal and it breaks that awkwardness and you feel included."

The costumes worn by the members are not cheap. Each are handmade and cost between $800 and $5,000.

"They are custom made by other furries in the area or they can order them from overseas too," Mr Walter said.

The group is preparing for RivFur2016, a convention set to be held in Brisbane in late June.

More than 200 people are expected to attend.