It is a form of social outing centered around electronic music and dancing, but focused on health and wellbeing rather than drinking and staying out late, as is usually the case.
That means events that run until sunset instead of sunrise, with a cold latte instead of a gin and tonic (drugs? forget it) in hand, and the promise of a good night’s sleep instead of a day-and-a-half hangover.
Such electronic parties have seen massive growth in the U.S., for example:
Coffee clubbing
Annual increase in number of events: +478%
Held in cafés during the daytime
Alcohol is replaced by coffee
Thermal Gatherings
+256%
Held in spas, saunas, hot springs
Alcohol is available, but there are also alcohol-free alternatives
Morning Dance Parties
+20%
Start early in the morning so participants can attend before work
They are the most “established” form of soft clubbing (10+ years)
Such events are also multiplying in Europe (e.g., London, Amsterdam, Lisbon).
These events are often organized by millennials, but the rapid rise in their popularity is driven by Gen Z habits and preferences, such as:
Reduced alcohol consumption: Gen Z drinks less than other generations*, while people across generations are choosing sober raving, leading them to seek out such events.
Notably, the percentage of 16–24-year-olds in the United Kingdom who said in a survey that they had consumed alcohol in the previous week fell from 67% in 2002 to 37% in 2021.
Such events offer clear practical advantages, as daytime schedules mean easier transportation, fewer safety concerns, and greater compatibility with modern work routines.
This makes them more accessible to people who do not want to sacrifice their sleep or their morning in order to go out at night.
Several DJs and artists criticize the use of the terms “clubbing” or “rave” in promoting such events, arguing that it represents a gentrification of the terms and a departure from their essence.
For them, electronic music and dance are not associated with concepts such as “practicality,” but with ideas like “liberation,” “safety,” “resistance,” “community,” and “experimentation.”
