{"id":206478,"date":"2026-03-06T01:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/206478\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T01:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:07:07","slug":"rise-and-rave-fresno-entrepreneur-brings-the-party-to-daytime-without-the-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/206478\/","title":{"rendered":"Rise and Rave: Fresno entrepreneur brings the party to daytime \u2014 without the drinks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/grand-rising-tbj-1200x495.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"party\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"attach_desc\">Hands in the air \u2014 but no drinks in them. Attendees pack the dance floor at a Grand Rising event, Evan Nebeker&#8217;s sober day-rave concept bringing the energy of a night out to the morning hours. Photos by Eli Sepeda\/Photo composite by Israel Meave<\/p>\n<p>Evan Nebeker founded Grand Rising with the intention of shifting the focus from late-night parties to dayside events \u2014 providing locals with a sober environment that promotes wellness and connection.<\/p>\n<p>Often described as sober day-raves, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grandrisingparty\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Grand Rising\u2019s early morning gatherings<\/a> are an alternative to alcohol-centered celebrations that typically start late in the evening.<\/p>\n<p>Since August of 2025, Nebeker\u2019s events have incorporated elements of a traditional night out, like live music and dancing, but his ultimate goal is to foster real face-to-face connection in a fun environment, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople still want to party, have a good time and connect,\u201d said Nebeker, \u201cThey just don\u2019t want to be out super late doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A typical Grand Rising event is fueled by coffee rather than alcohol, though low- and no-caffeine alternatives \u2014 think matcha, wellness energy drinks, fresh-squeezed juices and mocktails \u2014 are also available.<\/p>\n<p>Nebeker opted to make the events both affordable and family friendly. Ticket prices range from $10 to $15 per person. All ages are welcome to join in the fun.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll have free face painting for kids and adults. We\u2019ll have a free photo booth,\u201d said Nebeker about past events.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Though each event features a unique agenda and menu, wellness is the overarching theme.<\/p>\n<p>Attendees of all ages and fitness levels have the opportunity to participate in free community runs, which are supported by several\u00a0 local run clubs whose leaders help to organize the running activities through Woodward Park, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a 40 foot archway at the front, the same one you\u2019d have at a Cali Classic, Woodward Park run or a half marathon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A standard menu includes healthier alternatives to traditional pub bites, including quinoa burritos, avocado toast and acai bowls.<\/p>\n<p>For those into longevity and biohacking, Nebeker offers other alternative experiences that are popular among such crowds. Previous events have included massages and vitamin drips as well as recovery chairs and cold plunges.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve even featured a gut doctor, to advise on the probiotic health of attendees.<\/p>\n<p>Nebeker understands that wellness means different things to different people. That is why he\u2019s included plant sellers as vendors at his events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you take care of plants, that could be part of your wellness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Nebeker is well established in the Central Valley\u2019s entertainment economy. The former Grizzly Fest co-founder and promoter drew crowds of over 20,000 to his music festival. The now defunct festival was held at Woodward Park, the last running in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Nebeker has remained in the world of event planning, organizing corporate events for clients including Chase Bank. He and his former Grizzly fest partner also run a pickle ball tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Running Grand Rising is a team effort. Nebeker, who has 20 years of experience, is responsible for the business aspect of the brand. His business partner focuses on the creative aspects, like design and social media marketing.<\/p>\n<p>The next Grand Rising event will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Azara Supper Club\u00a0, which is located in the River View retail center across the street from Woodward Park.<\/p>\n<p>Nebeker is very passionate about his contribution to sober entertainment options in the Central Valley.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m juiced to be working on the project,\u201d he said, \u201cand I\u2019m super proud!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t   <script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hands in the air \u2014 but no drinks in them. Attendees pack the dance floor at a Grand&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206479,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-206478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}