One Saturday morning in October, Park Ji-hyun woke up at 5:30 a.m. and went on a rampage in Seoul.
And much of her prep routine was counterintuitive.
Instead of wearing a miniskirt, the 29-year-old wore running tights. Instead of wearing unstable heels, she wore running shoes. And instead of calling a taxi to the party, she ran from her apartment to the venue in Yongsan District, arriving after an hour and five-mile jog, ready to hit the dance floor.
“You meet random people for the first time, but then you start dancing together and it gets crazier and crazier as time goes on,” Park said.
Since its inception in May, Seoul Morning Coffee Club’s Coffee Rave has been a huge success by word of mouth, with hundreds of like-minded Seoulites flocking to dance at dawn from the comfort of their beds.
Attendees, who paid 20,000 won (about $14) for tickets, began trickling in at 7 a.m. and lined up for drinks of their choice, including iced Americano and matcha green tea. By 8 a.m., the DJ pumps out hypnotic bass beats to an enthusiastic, boisterous crowd bouncing around in unison in the bright, sunny sunshine, fueled only by the caffeine that fuels a booze-free rave.
“Today is the beginning of a new day,” founder Park Jae-hyun (no relation to Park) told CNN. “Even though it’s early in the morning, everyone seems excited and having fun, even without alcohol.”
The concept of sober raves is not new. New York-based group Daybreaker and London’s Morning Gloryville have been hosting these types of raves for more than a decade.
But in recent years, a new subgenre of non-drinking events has made its way into community spaces like coffee shops and bakeries in major cities around the world, upending the traditional club scene.
From Brisbane to Mumbai, Paris to Toronto, the movement is rapidly gaining momentum among Gen Z and young millennials who are drinking less and prioritizing sleep, health and wellness in their lives.
But interestingly, one of the pioneers of the concept in France says this wasn’t his goal when he launched his first bakery rave in Paris in 2019.
While living and working as a French DJ and music producer in cities like Miami and Los Angeles, Alexis Duvivier, better known as Hazard, said one of the things he misses most about his hometown is French boulangeries, or bakeries.
“It was a big part of my culture in my daily life here in France,” Duvivier said in an interview at a Paris coffee shop. “That was the first thing I wanted to do when I came back or was there. I was always looking for the best baguette or the best pain au chocolat. It was always my personal little quest.”
So when it came time to celebrate the release of his 2019 single “Diva,” Duvivier, 36, wanted to create a free event for his fans that combined his two passions: music and baking. He hosted his first evening rave at The French Basterds in the 11th arrondissement, which opened a year ago and quickly set itself apart from other bakeries with its irreverent, innovative menu.
Trays of free pastries were handed out to revelers as Hazard spun to the crowd with a baguette in the background, a fun and unusual visual that spread across social media.
Clips of DJs Bob Sinclair and Peggy Gou performing to excited crowds also went viral this year, making The French Bastards one of the most unlikely rave hot spots in the French capital.
But Duvivier says the concept was deeply personal and was never intended to become a naughty social media trend.
“I didn’t choose a bakery because I was looking for an unusual place, but because for me a bakery represents France and what I love,” said Duvivier, who organizes events around Europe as Bakery Sessions.
But in the years since, the movement has grown larger than Duvivier’s original intentions, gaining momentum around the world as it reflects changing global trends and responds to a range of unmet needs.
“In South Korea, there is a lot of competition and mental illness in society,” says Park, founder of Seoul Morning Coffee Club (SMCC). “I want to help Koreans live a more free life…Tell them to calm down, relax, slow down and everything will be fine.”
While South Korea is not alone in grappling with the challenges of poor mental health, burnout, and widespread loneliness in this fractured digital age, the country’s suffering is particularly acute.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate of any country tracked by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with the number of suicides expected to be 23 per 100,000 people in 2023, more than double the OECD average. And it’s an awkward title this country has held for more than a decade.
In South Korea, a country notorious for its highly competitive and status-oriented social structure, long working hours and a cutthroat job market can make managing a work-life balance difficult.
But in recent years, younger generations are increasingly rejecting the status quo, prioritizing their health and seeking community at offline events like those hosted by Soul Morning Coffee Club (the group also hosts morning runs, book clubs, and coffee chats) where they can relieve stress and boost their mental health.
“Compared to other countries, many Koreans are very self-conscious,” says Park Ji-hyun, who also works as a volunteer coffee chat host. “But Coffee Rave lets you be yourself and helps introverts and self-conscious people grow out of their shell.”
Seoul is known for its vibrant nightlife, but raves also cater to the city’s underserved morning people. And in this group, many tend to live healthy, alcohol-free lifestyles and may feel isolated in a drinking culture that often involves a night of heavy drinking and is often forged in professional and personal relationships.
For Freya Hawksley, 23, a British content creator who has lived in Seoul for the past five years, the event is a win-win for both being a morning person and a non-drinker.
“When you’re partying or drinking, your energy levels start to get really high, but you’re drained throughout the night,” says Hawksley. “But when I go to a party in the morning, I actually get energized. So when I go to a rave at 7 a.m. and finish at 10 a.m., I feel completely energized and ready to take on the day.”
Rave in Seoul is also a safe place. A wholesome, family-friendly, multi-generational rave with babies and toddlers bouncing to EDM alongside the elderly.
“As a woman, I feel very safe,” she added.
Hawksley was invited to the launch event as a friend of the organizer, but later returned on his own.
It’s a similar story in London, where DJs Manpal Brar (Meds B), 32, and Vishal Kamru (Chandra), 31, brought low-key daytime raves to coffee shops earlier this year.
“I’m at an age where I don’t want to stay out until the morning and drink alcohol or go to clubs,” says Kamru. “It’s built around us, in a way, and it reflects our times.”
It’s a surprising confession for a duo accustomed to playing late-night clubs as Lost in Cadence. But Coffee Gen’s founders say London’s nightlife has changed over the years, becoming too commercialized, impersonal and prohibitively expensive.
That disillusionment is shared by many young Brits. The UK Night Industry Association’s 2025 Consumer Report, published in February, found that 61% of 2,000 respondents aged 18 to 30 said they had gone out less frequently in the past year, citing financial pressures, safety concerns and transport barriers.
The group also warned that 40% of nightlife businesses in the UK face closure without government intervention.
Matthew Campoli, co-founder of Toronto’s Coffee Party, also notes that the new genre of sober raves has managed to shake up an old, stagnant nightlife scene that has lost some of its luster after the pandemic.
“I think there is a need for real connection again. Since the pandemic, there has been a gap. Social anxiety has increased and routines have been disrupted. During that time, many people have prioritized themselves and that’s why interests have changed.”
For Franklin Vaz, 33, the arrival of sober coffee raves in Toronto earlier this year coincided with a change in his own lifestyle, as he decided to quit alcohol completely.
But he still loved music. When one of his DJ friends who was attending a coffee party event told him about the gathering, Vaz jumped at the idea of joining like-minded people. He says he went to support his friend without any expectations.
But while waiting to buy a drink, Vaz was immediately drawn to the “radiant” face of a woman who was also in line and struck up a conversation. It turns out they were both avid runners and lived clean lifestyles. Two days later, we went on our first date and ran a 13-mile half marathon together.
“The conversation just happened naturally, so it was very exciting and very organic,” he said of meeting his current girlfriend.
After attending events as a guest, Vaz now works as an event helper for coffee parties.
“Events are very motivating,” he added. “The people out there want to be the best version of themselves, so I’m inspired to be the best version of myself.”
