INDIA'S NEW MORNING HIGH

From Mumbai to Chennai, Gen-Z, millennials and celebrities are ditching the booze for sunrise raves and caffeine

- By Anushka Halve Illustration By Sameer Pawar

At the August Cafe in Khar, Mumbai, Afrobeat pulses through the space. One patron dances with a frosted glass in hand; another sits cross-legged near the speaker, eyes closed. Not one thrill-seeker here is in sequinned tops or blackout sunglasses. Instead, across the room, guests sport linen shirts, yoga pants, sneakers. At first glance, it feels like any other party. But look again. It's 8 a.m. Welcome to India's new social ritual: the coffee rave.

“The point is to feel the music. Is there a drug as strong as this?” says one regular, with a laugh.

So, what’s really brewing? The answer lies in the countrywide rise of spots which have a part-nightclub, part-meditation retreat vibe. Fast becoming coveted zones for alcohol-free, high-energy parties, chances are that if a toast is raised here, it is with a mug of freshly-brewed decoction. In cities like Chennai, Gurugram, Mumbai, Bengaluru and even Nagpur, bars are being passed over for mornings in luminescent cafés that aim to blend wellness with party culture.

Coffee raves have already been the rage globally — Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Paris, London — and the movement traces back to Daybreaker, whose first sober morning rave was held at a café in New York’s Union Square in December 2013.