\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fresh start to the day,\u201d founder Park Jae-hyun (no relation to Park Jihyun) tells CNN. \u201cEven though it\u2019s very early in the morning, everyone looks excited and happy, even without alcohol.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n 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.\n <\/p>\n
\n 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.\n <\/p>\n
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\n 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.\n <\/p>\n
\n Interestingly, however, one of the pioneers of the concept in France says this wasn\u2019t his goal when he launched his first bakery rave in Paris back in 2019.\n <\/p>\n
\n While living and working in cities like Miami and Los Angeles as a French DJ and music producer, Alexis Duvivier, better known as Aazar<\/a>, said one of the things he missed most about home was French boulangeries, or bakeries.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt was such a big part of my culture in my everyday life here in France,\u201d Duvivier said during an interview at a coffee shop in Paris. \u201cIt 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\u2019s always been my personal little quest.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n So when it came time to celebrate the release of his single \u201cDiva\u201d in 2019, Duvivier, 36, wanted to create a free event for his fans, merging his two passions \u2014 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.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n This year, clips of DJs Bob Sinclair<\/a> and Peggy Gou<\/a> playing for excited crowds also went viral, making The French Bastards one of the most unlikely rave hot spots in the French capital.\n <\/p>\n \n But Duvivier says the concept was highly personal and was never intended to become a gimmicky social media trend.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI didn\u2019t choose a bakery because I was looking for an unusual location, but because for me it represents France and represents what I love,\u201d said Duvivier, who also hosts events across Europe as Bakery Session<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n However, in the years since, the movement has grown bigger than Duvivier\u2019s initial intent, circling the globe and gaining momentum, as it reflects shifting global trends and responds to a set of unmet needs.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIn Korea, there\u2019s a lot of competition and mental illness in society,\u201d says Park, the Seoul Morning Coffee Club (SMCC) founder. \u201cI want to help Koreans have a freer life \u2026 tell them to calm down, relax, take it easy and that everything is going to be fine.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n 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<\/a> people in 2023 \u2013 more than double the OECD average. And it\u2019s a troubling title the country has held for more than a decade.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cCompared to other countries, a lot of Korean people are very self-conscious,\u201d says Park Jihyun, who also volunteers as a coffee chat host. \u201cBut the coffee rave lets you be yourself and helps introverts and those who are self-conscious grow out of their shell.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhen you\u2019re partying and drinking, your energy levels start really high and then deplete throughout the night,\u201d Hawksley says. \u201cBut 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.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Seoul raves are also safe spaces: wholesome, family-friendly and multi-generational raves with babies and tots bopping to EDM alongside older adults.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAs a woman, I feel so much safer,\u201d she added.\n <\/p>\n \n Hawksley was invited to the launch event as a friend of the organizers but has since returned on her own.\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s 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.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019m at that age where I don\u2019t want to be out until the early morning, drinking and clubbing,\u201d Kamle says. \u201cIt\u2019s built around us in a way, reflecting our era.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s a surprising admission for the duo, who are used to playing late-night clubs as Lost in Kaydnce. But the founders of Coffee Gen<\/a> say that London nightlife has changed over the years, becoming too commercialized, impersonal and prohibitively expensive.\n <\/p>\n \n That disillusionment is shared by many young Britons. According to a 2025 consumer report<\/a> 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.\n <\/p>\n \n The group has also warned<\/a> that 40% of the UK\u2019s nightlife businesses faced closures without government intervention.\n <\/p>\n![\"Alexis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aazar-bakeryxhoka-89.jpg\")
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