A sober rave series that originally went viral in New York City is now touring the globe — and it will be taking over the CN Tower when it arrives in Toronto next month.
Daybreaker, a sober dance and social wellness movement, started in New York City as a way to spark community and joy through movement. They’ve since hosted parties everywhere from Red Rocks to the Pyramids of Giza, and now they’ve launched a global Have Fun, Be Nice Tour, featuring 100 stops across 20 cities. Inviting communities to gather for early-morning dance parties filled with music, breathwork, self-expression and celebration, alcohol is notably missing from these early morning events.
The tour arrives in the city on Aug. 13 for its biggest Toronto event yet — but you’ll have to wake up pretty early to take part. Running from 5:30–8:30 a.m., prepare to party while the city is still sleeping 1,815 feet below. Daybreaker promises to start off slow with yoga or breathwork before jumping right into full-on DJ sets, live musicians, dancers and surprise performers. And who needs alcohol when you’ve got free matcha and coffee shots at the bar?
Located at the CN Tower, this isn’t the first time the tallest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere has played host to a rave before — but we’re betting this might be its first sober early morning one! Since it’s alcohol-free, the event, dubbed Sunrise in the Sky, will also be a multigenerational one: all ages are welcome, and kids under 7 get in free. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mats, and the organization notes that showers aren’t available at their rave events — so if you’re planning on heading straight to work after dancing it out, maybe bring a change of clothes!
Daybreaker isn’t exactly cheap: tickets are going for $115 currently, so it’s up to you whether waking up at the crack of dawn for a rave on the CN Tower is worth it. If the sold-out tours and 800,000 participants are any indication, it must be!
Clearly the sober movement is just getting started in Toronto; just a few months ago, it was the sold-out, completely alcohol-free coffee parties that had the city’s attention, and before that, a mocktail competition run by Sobar Social Club.
