On a saturday morning in late October 2025, Park Jihyun, 29 years old, from Seoul (South Korea), woke up at 5:30 a.m. Instead of a short dress and high heels, she wore workout clothes and sneakers, running 8 km to a party venue in Yongsan-gu.
Park is a member of "Coffee Rave", an event organized by the Seoul Morning Coffee Club (SMCC). Launched in May 2025, this model quickly attracted hundreds of people to leave their beds at dawn to dance.
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The Coffee Rave event by Seoul Morning Coffee Club (South Korea) attracts hundreds of attendees. They are people who love dancing and music but do not want to drink alcohol. Photo: Keun |
With a ticket price of 20,000 won (approximately 370,000 VND), participants line up from 7 a.m. When the DJ starts playing music at 8 a.m., the crowd begins dancing in daylight, holding iced Americano or matcha instead of cocktails or beer. "Even though it's early morning and there's no alcohol, everyone is excited to start the new day", said Park Jae-hyun, founder of SMCC.
The "sober rave" model has been maintained by organizations like Daybreaker (New York) and Morning Gloryville (London) for over a decade. However, this trend has recently re-emerged and spread to bakeries and cafes from Brisbane (Australia), Mumbai (India) to Paris (France). These events gather Gen Z and Millennials, generations increasingly prioritizing sleep and mental health.
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These alcohol-free clubbing events for young people occur in unexpected locations, including bakeries. The image above captures a joyful moment at a "Bakery Session" in Paris. Photo: Laura Hucheloup |
In France, DJ Alexis Duvivier (stage name Aazar) initiated the "bakery rave" model. In 2019, images of him playing music alongside trays full of baguettes went viral on social media.
More than just entertainment, this movement serves as an antidote to modern social pressures. In South Korea, where a demanding work culture and high depression rates prevail, young people seek these events for healthy stress relief. Park Jihyun shared that these coffee parties help introverts like her break out of their shells and find a community of "early risers", a group often lost amidst the late-night drinking culture.
A similar story unfolds in the UK. DJ Vishal Kamle, 31 years old, from London, began hosting alcohol-free parties in cafes because he no longer wanted to stay up all night. A 2025 consumer report in the UK indicates that 61% of young people aged 18-30 limit late-night outings due to financial pressure and safety concerns.
"People are craving genuine connections after a long period of social anxiety", noted Matthew Campoli, co-founder of The Coffee Party in Toronto (Canada).
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Young Koreans are rejecting all-night parties, preferring to join running clubs, seeking to socialize with friends and colleagues without alcohol. Photo: Keun |
These connections offer real value. Franklin Vaz, 33 years old, met his current girlfriend while waiting in line for a drink at an event. They shared a passion for running and a clean lifestyle.
Their first date took place two days later, a 21 km marathon run.
Minh Phuong (According to CNN)
