When we think of clubbing and electronic dance music, we think late-night hours and dark rooms with a glass in hand. Well, this is changing now for Sydneysiders, with the rise of coffee raves beginning to mark its spot in our social scene for daytime beats and sober fun.
With Sydney/Eora adapting to this new social wave, we’ve put together an all-you-need-to-know about coffee raves and how to get involved in the next one.
- Jump To What Are Coffee Raves
- Jump To Why They’re Taking Over Sydney
- Jump To Where To Find Them
- Jump To What To Expect
- Jump To Our Take
What Are Coffee Raves?
Coffee raves are a beautifully simple concept with a name pretty self-explanatory–think your standard raves, except rescheduled for the morning and sobered up with a freshly-made coffee to sip. With a DJ table set up next to the barista, you can come for your regular coffee and stay for some great beats, dancing beside friends and local strangers while the day is still young.
Connor Cameron, a co-founder of Maple Social Club that organises coffee raves in Sydney, notes that there “seems to be quite a global trend, this concept of dancing with a coffee in hand”. These events started gaining some traction earlier this year in spots like LA and London, with the idea spreading to other major cities and eventually landing on our Aussie shores.
Why They’re Taking Over Sydney
If Aussies are particular about anything, it's coffee. Sydney is home to endless quality coffee spots and cafes that stock the fluffiest pastries and treats on the side. We consider ourselves experts, so if there’s a trend involving coffee, then we’re on it.
But this caffeine obsession isn’t the only reason coffee raves are starting to kick off here–we are also a city of early risers and sun-soakers. Even though our nightlife scene is steadily improving, Sydneysiders still tend to invest more of their focus on daytime outings, especially when it involves blue skies and warm weather.
The other half of the co-founding gig for Maple Social Club, Taylor Gwyther, comments that the love for coffee raves is likely “connected to the rise of run clubs last year, where people want to meet new people in a way that feels low-pressure and low-cost, but not everyone wants to run. So it’s an alternative to the run club but has the same premise or value proposition”.
With Gen Z and Millennials moving away from alcohol drinking, and with Sydney being a young city itself, it would also be no surprise if the hype around coffee raves also stems from a desire to see more alcohol-free spaces. Simply put, people just want more fun and more socialising, and coffee raves bring a fresh way to achieve this while sticking to a reasonable bedtime and not requiring an ID check.
Where To Find Them
Maple Social Club
Various Location
Image credit: Maple Social Club | Instagram
Founded by Taylor Gwyther and Connor Cameron, Maple Social Club launched in December 2024 with a goal of stirring up Sydney social life–including coffee raves with their Coffee & DJs events.
Hosted by different venues across Sydney, Maple Social Club has served tunes and fresh coffee at spots like Wilson Cafe and, more recently, Coogee Pavilion. With massive turnouts at a number of their events, stay updated through their Instagram to ensure you’re at the next rave with your favourite morning drink in hand.
Blend Theory
Various Location
Image credit: Matinee Coffee | Instagram
Blend Theory is all about bringing the best and grooviest music to Sydneysiders, recently hopping on the coffee rave wave and organising some huge events in partnership with folks like Warner Music. To give you a better idea, let’s just say they held an hour of free coffees and non-stop Kehlani beats on repeat last August to let RnB hits start the morning right.
With the venues changing every event, Blend Theory helps you try out the tastes of different coffee beans while throwing together some smooth blends and music combos. Stay updated through their socials online to see when and where their next event takes place.
What To Expect (Music, Coffee, Vibe)
Coffee rave events tend to come at the unbeatable price of zero dollars, with entry and access to beats available to anyone passing by. However, purchasing a little morning pastry or filling your keep-cup up with barista-made coffee is standard practice, so don’t be shy to get your brunch and boogie on in one spot.
Hosted at full-fledged coffee and bakery cafes, you can almost guarantee that the menu will feature your regular coffee order with specialty milk. As for the music, this depends entirely on whose hosting and DJ-ing–the range tends to be somewhere along the spectrum of raving electronic to groovy RnB. Whether you come fashionably fitted or in casual attire with your cozzies underneath (for an after-party swim), these events promise a carefree, energised and social start to the day, all while keeping sober and presentable for your other afternoon plans.
Our Take
Image credit: Maple Social Club | Instagram
While a good evening adventure and nightlife moment are definitely on our radar, these coffee raves promise to bring a new wave of socialising to Sydney that we are desperately wanting. As a double-up of two of Sydney’s favourite activities–music listening and coffee drinking–we expect these events to keep growing in size and scope. Before you know it, DJs at the cafe will be a regular, and you’ll be able to dance with strangers before clocking into work or spending time cooling off at the beach. Don’t be surprised if you spot a few of the Urban List team at these upcoming gigs.
Main image credit: Maple Social Club | Instagram