From shots to chai shots: Rave culture gets a clean makeover

Time of India

22-06-2025

Is 8 am the new 2 am? In the national capital, the answer is yes.
Rave parties for millennials and boomers have long been associated with pulsing lights, midnight crowds and the hush-hush presence of alcohol or drugs. But now, a cultural flip is underway, taking the
sober movement
even further. In Delhi and Mumbai and beyond, a new kind of rave is taking over:
chai rave
,
coffee rave
, matcha rave,
run rave
. No intoxicants, no hangovers—just endorphins, caffeine, community and a steady stream of beats.
In Delhi, young professionals lace up their sneakers at 6.45 am for a 5-km jog. On June 15, the
Delhi Run Collective
hosted its second run rave at the Arun Jaitley Park near Siri Fort. 'People may arrive sleepy, but that changes the moment we begin,' says Bhavya Choudhary, an engineer at an oil and gas firm, who took part in the run. 'By 8 am, there was music, dancing, laughter—it felt less like a fitness event and more like a celebration of movement and community.'
Manraj Singh, cofounder of Delhi Run Collective, says, 'Post-Covid, people started valuing cardiovascular health and community in ways they didn't before. You don't need alcohol. A run, music and good company can create the same high— if not better.'
Run raves begin early in the morning in a park, followed by team activities like tug-ofwar and finally a cool-down at a cafe—with tea, coffee or smoothie, along with DJ and dancing. 'It's the kind of party where you make real connections. You wake up early, push yourself, dance hard and go home by 10 am, feeling amazing,' says Singh. 'It's a new ritual.'
If you thought a chai party couldn't be cool, beauty and wellness brand inde wild would disagree. It had a chai rave, featuring 'Kulhad, Corset and Kundan', for the launch of a lip tint product in masala chai flavour. Says Diipa Büller-Khosla, founder of inde wild: 'The chai rave was a love letter to dual identities. It was about wearing a corset and kundan, drinking masala chai in a kulhad and dancing under a disco ball.'
Why chai? 'It's bold, layered and unapologetically complex, just like the women who drink it. We didn't pair chai with rave culture to modernise it, but to celebrate it in a new context. Why not let it live at the heart of a rave?' she says.
This is a clean and cost-effective branding exercise. It's also a sign of how Gen Z and young millennials are reclaiming cultural rituals and giving them a new twist.
The cafe chain
Chaayos
, too, held a chai rave in Greater Noida recently. Vaibhav Bhatia, a Delhi-based food vlogger, who attended it, says, 'It had EDM and desi chai—what more do you want? You get the same buzz without the crash. It's clean, social and enjoyable.'
It isn't just chai.
Starbucks
Reserve hosted a coffee rave in Mumbai in May, followed by Araku Coffee's party on June 13. Raashi Mishra, a 24-year-old marketing professional, who attended both events, says, 'The vibe was fun, there was lots of dancing, and most of the crowd was Gen Z. We are seeing more people choosing not to drink. But sober doesn't mean boring anymore.'
For brands like Starbucks, it's a bridge to a younger crowd. DJ Aaryan Gala, who played at the coffee rave, says: 'They wanted to draw in Gen Z and introduce new coffees. This was the best way—good beats, good brews. We had kids and pets grooving with us.'
Mokai, a cafe in Mumbai, held a coffee and matcha rave. 'The inspiration came from a London space that mixed music with matcha and sugar-free coffee,' says Karreena Bulchandani, founder of Mokai. 'We loved the vibe and added our own signature twists.' What started as a low-key experiment in September last year now has turmeric and ginger shots, matcha lattes and Arab-inspired DJ beats. 'People love trying something fresh and Insta-worthy. But this isn't designed to be a weekly ritual; it is just a feel-good moment worth experiencing,' she adds.
NO-TOX PARTY
The definition of a rave is being rewritten— its time, space and liquid companion have changed. 'People used to party till 2 am. Now they are partying at 8 am. They are building rituals that feel good, look good and are actually good for one's health,' says Singh of Delhi Run Collective. 'It's a
cultural detox
.'
What ties all these raves together? Music. For Aaryan Gala, who has spun decks across global nightclubs for over 17 years, the shift to caffeine-led raves is anything but conventional. 'Coffee raves are held in cafés, without alcohol or any vices. People are high on caffeine and music only,' he says. Instead of high-octane drops, the mood is groovy and grounded. 'We tailor the vibe to the space—mostly Afro House, Deep House and a touch of Bollytech. It's less about the drop and more about the flow.'
He is optimistic about where this is headed. 'With over 20 lakh cafés in India, we are just scratching the surface. This concept will blow up—we are not even prepared for it.'
At a recent techno festival in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, ravers made sun salutations under strobes. This was a yoga rave, curated by Art of Living teachers Isha Sharma and Divam Kapoor, and Sarvagya Moondra of the music festival Eden of Sounds. 'We chase a pranic high, not a chemical one,' says Sharma. With breathwork drops, bass-backed Om chants and a crowd that leaves sweaty yet serene, raves like this are redefining what it means to party, says Kapoor.
Globally, too, the concept of the rave is being reinvented. At the padel club raves in Europe, for instance. high-energy dance meets sport culture.
The new raves are all about cardio over cocktails, caffeine over chaos and joy minus the judgment.