Run and rave

Alcohol, late nights and clubbing? That’s so last decade.

Coffee raves are now all the rage.

For the Gen Xers and millennials, raving meant getting wasted past midnight in some club or warehouse, and probably going home as the sun rises and spending the entirety of the next day nursing a hangover.

Coffee raves mean sleeping early and getting up before sunrise for maybe a quick five or 10-kilometer run and chilling out in a coffee shop after, with a DJ playing some EDM sub-genre.

Imagine a coffee shop full of endorphin-powered ravers who are fist-pumping to feel-good music and a salted caramel latte. It is happening across the globe, including Hong Kong, Bangkok, and now, the Philippines.

How did this tectonic shift happen?

My hypothesis is that as running, sports, and biohacking for longevity grew in popularity, people, especially the Gen Z realized they needed to sleep earlier. They realized that instead of getting their high from alcohol and late nights, which can be quite messy and ageing, the high from physical activity is “clean” and more beneficial to both physical and mental well-being.

Alcohol is passé and super unhealthy, while caffeine is performance-enhancing.

As one writer noted: In a world hyper-focused on wellness, social media tells us to prioritize eight hours of sleep, avoid sugar, and maintain a “self-care” aesthetic that’s as Instagrammable as it is aspirational. Clubbing until 3 a.m.? It’s not just exhausting — it’s off-brand.

Instead, Gen Z is finding joy in rituals that complement their carefully curated routines: sunrise yoga, sober meetups, and yes, midday dance parties fueled by artisanal cold brews. Coffee, with its judgment-free allure and ceremonial preparation, becomes both the anchor and the catalyst for this new way of socializing.

A café owner in Mumbai explained it best: “It’s not about excess or partying till you drop — it’s about enjoying great music, meeting like-minded people, and being part of something new. Imagine walking into a space that’s buzzing with music and conversation but still feels comfortable and welcoming. That’s the essence of a café rave.”

Come to think of it, coffee raves are socializing at its best. Unlike club raves, people in coffee raves are sober, if not hyper — all the better to appreciate good music and even better conversations.

In the Philippines, the trend is slowly gaining traction, too. A friend, Rubin Patrick, whose RWP Run Club has hundreds, if not thousands, of members all over the country, has recently organized “Beats for Breakfast” in a coffee shop in Poblacion.

Some are saying that it’s just a fad, but I beg to disagree. How can one resist the winning combination of running, coffee, and good music? So rave on, we shall.