Morning Rave Daybreaker Launches Evening Sister Party Dusk
It’s 6:30 am, and your alarm is going off. Instead of hitting snooze for the umpteenth time, you’re up and at ‘em, ready to rave.
If this statement sounds appealing, the infamous sunrise get-down Daybreaker is probably for you. But for those who consider early-morning wake-up calls a form of personal hell, you’re in luck. From the creators of beloved morning soirée Daybreaker comes Dusk, a nighttime counterpart to the dry daytime party.
For those unfamiliar with Daybreaker, the party is an early-morning gathering free of drugs and alcohol. Since it was founded by Radha Agrawal and Matthew Brimer, the event series has evolved into a global phenomenon, taking over cities from New York to Tokyo, and has become known for its fusion of health-positive choices, meditation, and of course, great tunes.
“Daybreaker is about getting out of bed, putting your comfy shoes and a fun costume on, coming to dance your face off, and meeting amazing people who are also putting mischief and fun ahead of their snooze button and a routine morning,” says Agrawal.
For those who still can’t find the joy in getting down at dawn, Agrawal and Brimer decided to bring their healthy living party to the evening set with Dusk.
Dubbed “Happy hour reimagined,” the Daybreaker idea fast-forwarded 12 hours and took place in the stunning Temple Emanu-El on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for its inaugural Dusk event. Now taking place at 6:30 pm, Dusk allowed eager partygoers to head straight from their office to the dancefloor.
“In many ways, Daybreaker took more convincing than Dusk did,” says Agrawal. “Once we earned the trust of our community to curate amazing people and throw an experience with great music and talent, they were game for any experiment we threw at them.”
Dusk kicked off with a fitting 1920s Prohibition-era theme, inviting guests to break out those flapper dresses collecting dust in the backs of their closets. Stepping into the ornately designed congregation space was an awe-inspiring moment in itself. But when a beatboxer and violinist began throwing down a rendition of Ginuwine’s “Pony,” it became blatantly clear this would not be a chill night at temple.
Aesthetically, Dusk was spot on. Through venue choice and detailed costumes, the crew went to extra lengths to make the event feel period authentic—all the way down to the brass band led by a vocalist singing Amy Winehouse’s throwback-infused tune “Valerie” into an antique microphone.
Moving the party into the basement, we were greeted with a decked-out dancefloor spearheaded by techno-crusading resident DJ FVDM. At the same time, we were treated to salads provided by Sweetgreen, quinoa cheese balls, and superfood supplements.
“I think the fact that our experiences are non-alcoholic and purely about dancing and community simply attracts everyone interested in dancing and community,” Agrawal explains. “We have been very focused on our five core values being the main lens through which we design every experience: wellness, community, self-expression, mindfulness and mischief. These values apply to any age and any demographic if they are open to it.”
That’s the other thing that sets Dusk apart: The event is truly all ages. “We see people bring their babies, and we see people in their 60s, all of whom are united by common values and a love of coming together to self-express with other amazing humans,” says Brimer. Also noticeable were the expansive walks of life uniting under one beat. Suits straight from Wall Street danced in sync next to PLUR heads, and the party truly left no demographic unrepresented.
Walking away from a rave at 10pm, rather than the usual 2am, felt strange in the best way possible. It felt as if all my angst and need to rage were left behind, all while foreseeing a full night’s sleep ahead, with no soul-crushing hangover to anticipate. “Dusk is intended to take back happy hour,” claims Brimer. “We believe there’s an opportunity to create a fun and expressive experience after work that focuses on self-expression, mindfulness, and community rather than your typical happy hour experience involving a noisy bar, drunk people and bad music.”
Stemming from Agrawal’s and Brimer’s own personal adaptation of a healthy lifestyle, Daybreaker and Dusk began as a crapshoot, with the hopeful founders banking on the assumption that there were other people out there wanting to get down and dirty without relying on drugs or alcohol. Now a little over a year since its formation, the sober party has expanded tenfold, with attendees singing their praises.
Besides proving that one does not need to be inebriated to have a good time, the Daybreaker and Dusk events also provide a glimmer of hope for the electronic music community, which is too often wrongly associated with drug abuse and debauchery. “Dusk is a place to release inhibitions, to let go of stress, and to celebrate being alive and being together, rather than drinking away the pains of the day.”
Learn more about Daybreaker and Dusk events in a city near you.
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