Eat, sleep, rave, repeat. It’s a party anthem and way of life for people around Australia and the world, but with night life across the country faltering in favour of early morning lifestyles, people are finding new ways to get their rave on – and the coffee scene is riding this new wave.
Australia has well and truly jumped on board the emerging coffee rave scene. The trend of trading late nights and hangovers for early morning dance parties and wellness shots has been sweeping Europe and North America over the past year, and now it’s taking Australia by storm.
Take your typical nightclub scene. The DJ decks are turning, people are letting loose with drinks in hand. But instead, trade the dark-cornered, dimly-lit nightclub for the soft dawn sunshine pouring into café windows, and the alcoholic beverages for specialty coffee and cold-pressed juices.
Businesses and venues around Australia have been quick to jump on this emerging early-morning party trend. In February 2025, alternative milk company MILKLAB held the first of its Coffee Shop Sets a Melbourne’s Project 281 Coffee Roasters, where internationally acclaimed artist Toni Watson – better known as Tones and I – played to an intimate audience.
MILKLAB has also been getting behind Mix & Matcha, which will celebrate its official launch on June 8 with an event featuring live DJs, specialty coffee, and ceremonial matcha, as well Maple Social, which launched its coffee and DJ event on 10 May.
MILKLAB’s collaboration with Tones and I may be the highest profile event to date, but it’s far from the only brand jumping on this new era of caffeine catharsis. In December 2024, celebrated music producer What So Not took to the decks for a two-hour set at Perth’s Micrology Coffee Roasters, while Coffee Sessions is putting on events across Adelaide.
It’s Queensland, though, that may hold the most potential for this new trend. The mornings stay warm and light year round and the lifestyle is already geared towards early rises and outdoor activity.
Brisbane’s Caffeine Club is on the frontline of the Sunshine State’s coffee rave revolution. At the time of writing, the team had already hosted a pair of remarkably successful events at Joey’s, a restaurant perched atop the cliffs on the banks of the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point, and they’ve got plans for plenty more to come.
At the moment, though, these caffeine-fuelled parties are just the latest trend in a shifting social scene and, like all trends, are at risk of fizzling out. But the speed at which these events have needled their way into the Australian psyche is alarming in the best possible way, so could they become a fixture of the our coffee and café scene for years to come?
Caffeine Club Co-Founder Konrad Lancaster believes while the start has been strong, the popularity of the coffee rave is only on the way up.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere near the peak of what these parties can be,” Konrad says. “We wouldn’t have started Caffeine Club if we didn’t think this was going to be around for a while.
“I feel like we’re very ahead of the trend right now. The way we like to gauge it is whatever is happening in Europe and America, Australia is usually six months to a year behind that.
“Essentially, people are giving up the late Saturday nights and the Sunday morning hangover, and Saturday mornings will be the things to go to. Hopefully we’re on the right trajectory and can continue to maintain it. We’ve had some great traction early and it’s been really great to see.”
The early success of these coffee raves could be attributed to Generation Z’s leaning into the trading of traditional Saturday night shenanigans for more health- and wellbeing-focused pursuits.
The rise of run clubs, group fitness regimes, and work from home have led to a shift to an earlier start for many young Australians, so the shift of the party and events scene to cater to this new lifestyle is a logical next step.
Generation Z is also drinking considerably less alcohol than older generations were at their age. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has been tracking this phenomenon, and has found near across the board reductions in drinking habits of young people.
Cost-of-living is also a key driver of the narrative shift surrounding discretionary spending, with alcohol purchases one of the key cutbacks made by Australians in recent years.
Konrad believes this shifting narrative around social drinking and late-night partying has helped foster the rapidly growing popularity of events such as his.
“[Caffeine Club Co-Founder Josh Newton] and I have both been DJs in the past, and we’ve both been involved in the events scene. Essentially, we wanted to create something that people could come to, socialise and listen to good music without the late nights or pressures to go and get drunk,” he says.
“We thought instantly that Brisbane would be a great place for this type of event because the weather is always great, and people tend to get up early to exercise.”
A key drawcard to the events is also the lack of cost associated with attending.
“A big attraction for us is also that it’s free. People can come and leave as they want and not feel pressured to spend a bunch of money,” Konrad continues.
“Alcohol is expensive, the food after a night out is expensive. Here, you can just go for a coffee, have some food, hang out, and leave when you want to.
“It’s great for people who have young families or just don’t get opportunities to go out and have this type of fun. They can come, bring the kids, have a great time and we’re finished by 10am, so they have the whole day ahead of them.”
With Australia’s hospitality and music scenes both enduring difficult times, Konrad believes these new and exciting events could be a way to reignite both sectors.
“This is something that’s super fresh, and I think it’s going to be good for venues in general,” he says. “We’ve already had some massive brands come on board to support us as well as a lot of venues who want to collaborate with us.
“It’s been amazing to have all the support build so quickly, and we’re so keen to build a good community around us.
“Our goal is to essentially put one event on every weekend in different locations. Our next move is to look at building a presence on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, lock in those areas and then see where it goes.
“This is just the beginning for us, and we’re going to be taking it on the road very soon.”
