On a Saturday morning in October, Park Jihyun woke up at 5:30 a.m. to go raving in Seoul.

And much about her prep routine was counterintuitive.

Instead of shimmying into a miniskirt, the 29-year-old pulled on a pair of running tights. Instead of slipping her feet into a set of precarious heels, she slipped into running shoes. And in lieu of hailing a cab to the party, she ran from her apartment to the venue in Yongsan-gu, arriving after an hour-long, 5-mile jog, ready to hit the dance floor.

“It’s just random people who meet for the first time. But as we start dancing together, it becomes crazier as time flies,” Park says.

Since launching in May, the Seoul Morning Coffee Club’s Coffee Rave has become a viral success, drawing hundreds of like-minded Seoulites from the comfort of their beds to dance at daybreak.

Attendees, who have paid 20,000 won (about $14) for their ticket, start trickling in at 7 a.m., and line up for their drink of choice, often an iced Americano or a matcha. By 8 a.m., the DJ is pumping out hypnotic bass beats for an enthusiastic crowd of revelers who are jumping in unison in the clear, bright light of day, with nothing but caffeine to fuel their booze-free rave.

“It’s a fresh start to the day,” founder Park Jae-hyun (no relation to Park Jihyun) tells CNN. “Even though it’s very early in the morning, everyone looks excited and happy, even without alcohol.”

The concept of sober raves is not new. New York-based outfit Daybreaker and Morning Gloryville in London have been throwing these kinds of raves for more than a decade.

But in recent years, the latest sub-genre of booze-free events has moved into community spaces like coffee shops and bakeries in major cities around the world, flipping the script on the traditional clubbing scene.

Birth of the bakery rave

Sober clubbing takes place in unexpected venues including bakeries. Seen here, a moment of fun at a Bakery Session in Paris. Laura Hucheloup

From Brisbane to Mumbai, and Paris to Toronto, the movement has quickly gained traction among a segment of Gen Z-ers and younger Millennials who are drinking less and prioritizing sleep, health and wellness in their lives.

Interestingly, however, one of the pioneers of the concept in France says this wasn’t his goal when he launched his first bakery rave in Paris back in 2019.

While living and working in cities like Miami and Los Angeles as a French DJ and music producer, Alexis Duvivier, better known as Aazar, said one of the things he missed most about home was French boulangeries, or bakeries.

“It was such a big part of my culture in my everyday life here in France,” Duvivier said during an interview at a coffee shop in Paris. “It was the first thing I wanted to do when I went back or when I was there. I was always on the lookout for the best baguette or the best pain au chocolat. It’s always been my personal little quest.”

So when it came time to celebrate the release of his single “Diva” in 2019, Duvivier, 36, wanted to create a free event for his fans, merging his two passions — music and baked goods. He hosted his first early evening rave at The French Bastards in the 11th arrondissement, which had opened a year earlier and quickly distinguished itself from other bakeries for its irreverent and innovative menu.

Alexis Duvivier, a pioneer of the sober clubbing scene who goes by the name Aazar professionally, said he missed French bakeries as he traveled the world playing music at raves. Now he combines his two interests. Laura Hucheloup

As Aazar spun for the crowds against a backdrop of baguettes, trays of free pastries were distributed to the revelers, making for fun, unusual visuals on social media.

This year, clips of DJs Bob Sinclair and Peggy Gou playing for excited crowds also went viral, making The French Bastards one of the most unlikely rave hot spots in the French capital.

But Duvivier says the concept was highly personal and was never intended to become a gimmicky social media trend.

“I didn’t choose a bakery because I was looking for an unusual location, but because for me it represents France and represents what I love,” said Duvivier, who also hosts events across Europe as Bakery Session.

‘Calm down, relax’

The Seoul Morning Coffee Club also hosts coffee chat groups, morning runs and book clubs. Park Jihyun, right, volunteers here as host of a morning coffee chat. Director Keun

However, in the years since, the movement has grown bigger than Duvivier’s initial intent, circling the globe and gaining momentum, as it reflects shifting global trends and responds to a set of unmet needs.

“In Korea, there’s a lot of competition and mental illness in society,” says Park, the Seoul Morning Coffee Club (SMCC) founder. “I want to help Koreans have a freer life … tell them to calm down, relax, take it easy and that everything is going to be fine.”

While South Korea is not unique in dealing with the issue of deteriorating mental health, burnout and a loneliness epidemic in this fragmented, digital age, suffering is particularly acute in this country.

The suicide rate in South Korea is highest among the countries tracked by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) at 23 suicides per 100,000 people in 2023 – more than double the OECD average. And it’s a troubling title the country has held for more than a decade.

In a country notorious for its hyper-competitive, status-centered social structure, work-life balance in South Korea can be difficult to manage, with long work hours and a cutthroat job market.

But in recent years, younger generations have been increasingly rejecting the status quo, prioritizing their wellness and seeking community in offline events like those organized by the Seoul Morning Coffee Club (the group also hosts morning runs, book clubs and coffee chats) that allow them to blow off steam and boost their mental health.

“Compared to other countries, a lot of Korean people are very self-conscious,” says Park Jihyun, who also volunteers as a coffee chat host. “But the coffee rave lets you be yourself and helps introverts and those who are self-conscious grow out of their shell.”

Newly-organized run clubs and other sober activities not only reject nighttime activities that foster binge drinking but are also a boon for morning people who long to bond with friends and colleagues without alcohol. Director Keun

While Seoul is known for its thrumming nightlife, the raves also cater to an underserved demographic in the city: morning people. And within this group, many tend to lead healthy, booze-free lifestyles, which can be isolating in a drinking culture where professional and personal relationships are often forged over a night of heavy drinking.

For British content creator Freya Hawksley, 23, who has been living in Seoul for the past five years, the event is a win-win, both as a morning person and non-drinker.

“When you’re partying and drinking, your energy levels start really high and then deplete throughout the night,” Hawksley says. “But when you go to these morning parties, you actually gain energy. So you turn up to these raves at 7 a.m., you finish at 10 a.m., and you feel completely energized and ready for the day.”

Seoul raves are also safe spaces: wholesome, family-friendly and multi-generational raves with babies and tots bopping to EDM alongside older adults.

“As a woman, I feel so much safer,” she added.

Hawksley was invited to the launch event as a friend of the organizers but has since returned on her own.

‘I don’t want to be out until the early morning’

It’s a similar story in London, where DJs Manpal Bhullar (Mezz B), 32, and Vishal Kamle (Chndra), 31, brought sober, daytime raves to coffee shops earlier this year.

“I’m at that age where I don’t want to be out until the early morning, drinking and clubbing,” Kamle says. “It’s built around us in a way, reflecting our era.”

It’s a surprising admission for the duo, who are used to playing late-night clubs as Lost in Kaydnce. But the founders of Coffee Gen say that London nightlife has changed over the years, becoming too commercialized, impersonal and prohibitively expensive.

Sober morning-time raves serve people who are no longer interested in late nights and days of fatigue. Coffee Gen

That disillusionment is shared by many young Britons. According to a 2025 consumer report from Night Time Industries Association UK published in February, 61% of the 2,000 respondents aged 18-30 reported going out less frequently in the last year, citing financial pressures, safety concerns and transportation barriers.

The group has also warned that 40% of the UK’s nightlife businesses faced closures without government intervention.

Matthew Campoli, co-founder of The Coffee Party in Toronto, also points out that the new genre of sober raves has succeeded in shaking up a stale and stagnant nightlife scene that lost part of its luster after the pandemic.

“I think there’s a need for genuine connection again. Since the pandemic, there’s been a gap. Social anxieties have developed and routines were crushed, and a lot of people started to prioritize themselves during that time which is why interests have shifted.”

For Franklin Vaz, 33, the arrival of sober coffee raves in Toronto earlier this year aligned with his own lifestyle changes, as he had decided to quit alcohol altogether.

But he still loved music. When one of his DJ friends who was spinning at a Coffee Party event told him about the gathering, Vaz jumped at the idea of joining like-minded people. He had no expectations, he says, and went to support his friend.

While waiting to get his drink, however, Vaz became instantly smitten by the “radiant” face of a woman who was also waiting in line and struck up conversation. Turned out that both were avid runners and led clean lifestyles: two days later, they went on their first date where they ran the distance of a half marathon, 13 miles, together.

“The conversation just flowed, so it was very exciting and very organic,” he says of meeting his now girlfriend.

After attending the events as a guest, Vaz now works as an event helper at The Coffee Party.

“The events are very motivating,” he adds. “The people there want to be the best versions of themselves. So it’s pushed me to be the best version of myself too.”