A new generation is finding alternatives to alcohol-fueled, late-night revels—from morning “coffee clubbing” to “silent” dance parties.
Before diving into this piece, I need to come clean and say I’ve never been a party girl. So there’s a certain irony to this; I’m no authority on the pastime, but the trend intrigued me too much not to check it out. To put it simply, there seems to be a rising culture of “soft clubbing” around the world, and it’s beginning to trickle into the Manila scene too.
Before I even knew the trend had a name, a friend sent a TikTok video of people participating in a morning “coffee rave” hosted by a cafe in Manila. A rave in the morning? Even I found the concept peculiar. It’s something new, and the evident absence of booze makes things all the more interesting. Still, the DJ was present, and everyone seemed to be vibing no differently than they would during a night at the club.
Then there are the “silent” discos or dance parties that have also been circulating on TikTok: people dancing to music that’s playing through individual headphones, rather than giant speakers that fill the room with thrumming beats. It’s kind of a silly sight, and it looks hilarious (a congregation of people swaying and humming, out of tune, to a song you can’t hear, can either be the stuff of comedy or horror), but I think the point is this: there’s clearly a demand for alternatives to the clubbing we’ve come to know.
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What Is Soft Clubbing?
The term is already being used by various publications and organizations that are trying to find a way to describe the shift in nightlife culture across urban centers in Europe and North America.
“Soft clubbing” can encompass a variety of activities that might constitute a night out (music, good company, a DJ, a dance floor), but with twists that omit the usual physical and psychological consequences of the morning after—in other words, less substances like alcohol, more things that are better for your body, or at the very least, not detrimental to overall wellbeing. Events also wrap up a little earlier, or they’re held during the day. “Soft clubbing” doesn’t even have to look like your average night out: people have been hosting “sauna and cold plunge parties” too, according to online ticket platform and events organizer Eventbrite, which reported a 256% spike in these activities, and a 478% surge in coffee clubbing.
In short, wellness has become the focal point of a younger party scene, a way of decentering alcohol and other substances that usually lie at the heart of revelry. Soft clubbing venues are crafted to be more conducive to connection beyond noise: it’s ambient lighting instead of blinding lights, music that still lets you hear yourself speaking, and a space that doesn’t feel overstimulating, as Lorenzo Villa of NSS Magazine points out.
Why The Shift
This trend is really a symptom of a bigger change within Gen Z, something already touched upon in our previous feature on the sober curious movement. As writer Alexandra Tan pointed out, the younger generation is turning inwards and becoming more cognizant of what’s ultimately better for their bodies. A 2023 survey from Gallup shows a notable decrease in drinking among U.S. adults below the age of 35, from 72% from 2001 to 2003, to 62% from 2021 to 2023.
It’s not just the U.S., though it’s a litmus test. “Your generation just doesn’t drink anymore,” my father tells me after meeting up with a bar owner. “That’s why restaurants and bars are coming up with all kinds of alternative menus solely for mocktails or non-alcoholic drinks.”
Is it a result of living in a world so deeply tainted by intense ecological and health crises like microplastics, higher chemical exposure, fast-paced lifestyles, and the like? Perhaps. Disillusionment and rapid access to information play a part in this, too. Suddenly, we’re more aware of what certain substances can do to our bodies. We’ve seen the headlines on alarmingly high cases of cancer among Gen X and millennials. We can only control so much, so it makes sense that whatever conscious choices we have left are ones of drastic change.
Soft clubbing also presents more opportunities to those who still want to go out and have fun with friends in a party-like setting without committing to things that don’t align with their personal principles and preferences. If that means catching a great DJ set in the morning with a cup of iced coffee in hand, or collectively humming off tune to music from your headphones—well, who are we to judge?
Is Party Culture Dead? (Not Really!)
The rising presence of “soft clubbing” isn’t a sign that party culture, as we know it, is dying. A lively Manila nightlife scene, which only continues to grow, is proof of that. But it’s just as my dad noticed: no one’s taking out the alcoholic options—they’re just adding alternatives to stay relevant to shifting needs.
After all, there’s still a certain charm to the chaotic revelry people have long indulged in: the noise, the drunk dancing, the music that reverberates through your core, heck, even the gaudy neon rave lights. But there’s also space for more options, and whatever’s happening now is our response to possibility—an acknowledgement that there’s more than one way to have fun.
