Why People are Going to Sober Morning Raves Before Work

By: Gabriell Kleydman

Participants dancing during the dance rave at a Daybreaker.
(Credit: eventbrite.com)

Here is something called Daybreaker. A combination of wellness, dance and community, Daybreaker is a morning wake-up call going on all around the world.

Beginning with a hour-long yoga session at 6am and ending with a two- hour dance rave from 7-9am, everybody involved is able to let themselves loose before getting on with their days.

It all started five years ago in October of 2013 at a club in Williamsburg, where everyone was frustrated over rude bouncers, drunken idiots, and absolutely nobody dancing.

After being annoyed from the copious amounts of alcohol and drugs dominating the social scene in New York City, Radha Agrawal, the so called “brainchild” of Daybreaker, had enough of it.

Two months later, the first Daybreaker occurred in a basement lounge in Union Square with around 180 participants. The reviews were outstanding.

A year later, it expanded to the West Coast. After another two, they had 350,000 participants spanning over the course of twenty five cities and beyond

Agrawal’s goal is not for the participants to escape from themselves, but to find themselves. Agrawal wants them to feel as if they are at home.

This so-called sense of ‘home’ allows complete strangers to let themselves loose as the vibrant jumble of DJ’s, and live bands uplift the participants.

Another big goal of hers is to let people get away from the mindset that in order to have fun, they have to be either drunk or on drugs. With Daybreaker, that is not the case.

There are calming aromatherapy scents like eucalyptus and lavender placed around the room along with a glitter station that the participants can use to quite literally shine.

For whoever needs a break, every Daybreaker has a concession stand towards the back with a wide assortment of drinks and small bites such as kombucha, tea, water and fruit.

There is another high that the folks participating in this can be on. There is such a thing called a natural high, and in Agrawal’s case, she calls it D.O.S.E.

D.O.S.E stands for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphin. These four chemicals are naturally occurring chemicals in your body that are produced when you feel good!

From replacing bouncers with people who hug each and every participant upon entry, to the sense of gratitude felt from everybody around, and the extensive workout from yoga and dancing, those four chemicals are all felt towards the end of the three hours. In one way or another, it is like a runner’s high going on for a few hours.

For many recurring participants, it is more or less like their form of medicine. These people are able to return to their authentic selves every single month.

This community brings about a demographic that spans from kids to adults. “It’s people of all shapes and sizes, and it makes my heart soar,” says Agrawal.

The energy at these events are so unique from anything else. It is clear, pure, and eye-opening; everyone should show up as Agrawal says, with a beginner’s mind to try something new.

If someone goes in with the mindset that they are ready to have the time of their lives dressed up as whatever the theme entails, then they will have the time of their lives.

It is something completely out of this world. It is totally worth the early wake-up call.