I Went To A Rave At 7 A.M. And Here’s How It Went

Samantha DiBenedetto

I heard about Daybreaker thanks to a deep dive on Instagram. I can’t remember what hashtag I was scrolling through, but I stumbled upon a bunch of really awesome dance party photos. The timestamp on all of the images was well before 9 A.M., and I immediately wanted to be a part of this night-out-meets-morning-workout party. I reached out to a girlfriend who always seems to know what’s happening in New York City and a week later, I was a forwarded an email with the upcoming Daybreaker invite.

It’s not a party, it’s a “morning movement” the email read. “It is about dancing your face off before work and feeling gloriously healthy while doing so. It is about love, it is about mindfulness, and it is about mischief.” Sold.

First, you should know that these tickets sell out insanely fast.

Morning dance parties are a ~thing~, and when the invite went out for the most recent party my friends and I scrambled to get our act together immediately. The email replies from my friends flowed in faster than I could open them. The responses varied from, “Just bought my ticket,” to “Does anyone want to buy the group package?” and “Who should I Venmo?” I was ecstatic.

This party was all about love. LoveisLoveisLoveisLove! The event was being dubbed the very first Gaybreaker event, and a percentage of the ticket proceeds were being donated to families of the Orlando shooting victims through Equality Florida. (Tickets range between $18 to $37.) 

Daybreaker events vary, but this particular party started with a 6 A.M. yoga class, followed by a dance party that would end at 9 A.M.—and then most people will head to work or class, or maybe head back to sleep if they’ve taken the day off. The bar is stocked with juices and snacks, and the recommended attire is anything comfy. 

This is me being ridiculously energetic at 6 A.M.

Photo by Andrew Rauner, Courtesy of Daybreaker

You don’t even want to know what time I had to set my alarm to make it to the yoga class. (OK, it was 5 A.M.!) Pulling myself out of bed was not fun, but I reminded myself how much I had been looking forward to this. Life tip: Start using that mentality for anything I have to do before 7 A.M.

I chose to rock a rainbow-head-to-toe Fabletics outfit—partly because this is what Kate Hudson would wear, and partly because I felt really confident and fabulous in this outfit. I grabbed my yoga mat and ticket and headed out. I’m not usually a morning person so I don’t really know what New York City looks like before eight in the morning. Let me tell you, the streets were empty and I saw maybe 15 people during my trip to midtown. But it was kind of exciting knowing that I had a little secret—that I was off to a dance party at this extra-early hour.

Photo by Andrew Rauner, Courtesy of Daybreaker

Yoga was first, and the routine started with four sets of jumping jacks. I don’t know how long each interval was, but I was officially winded and I hadn’t even shown off my killer dance ~moves~ yet.

When I purchased my ticket I pictured that the morning yoga class would be all about easing into the day with a few Sun Salutations and maybe a Chair Pose—because you know, strength. But this was not the traditional or relaxing class I envisioned—we were full-on exercising, and I was there for it. With it being so early, I had only grabbed a protein bar on my way out the door, so at this point I was focusing more on my daydream about a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich than I was focusing on those jumping jacks.

After the jumping jacks, we did core exercises galore and were instructed to walk up and down our yoga mats like we were on the runway. Can you say VOGUE? After my personal yoga mat catwalk, it was burpee time. Why there were burpees happening this early in the morning I will never know. But I did them. Sort of. And while I did more burpees and push-ups than Warrior poses (I might have done downward dog twice), it was still a blast.

The disco ball dropped at 7 A.M. and it was mayhem—in the best way possible.

Photo by Andrew Rauner, Courtesy of Daybreaker

My friends enthusiastically purchased tickets to the party, but none of them were as excited about the morning workout as I was, so they met me at 7 A.M. when the dance party broke out. Daybreaker provided an amazing assortment of refreshments. I have never seen so many different kinds of water in my life: Vita Coco Water, Vita Coco Water with Pineapple, Vita Coco water with Peach and Mango, Essentia Water, WTRMLN Water (aka Watermelon Water), and Happy Tree Maple Water. There was also a protein shake and cold brew coffee (insert ALL of the praying hand emojis here).

The music and lighting made it feel like I was in da club, 50 Cent style. And there was just enough space so that everyone attending had enough room for their dancefloor moves. The fashion was like nothing I had anticipated. A handful of people showed up in what they were going to wear to work for the day, while others chose outfits that expressed their current vibes a little bit more literally. Notable mentions were tutus, neon onesies, white sneakers with bottoms that lit when people took a step (or dance move), and swimsuits. Yes, swimsuits.

There were moments at this morning rave where I questioned my current state of mind…was I sober? Then I’d grab one of the many water varieties (have to try them all!), and remind myself that it was only 7:15 A.M.. The energy in the room was contagious, and about halfway through the party a cellist started to perform. He was completely synchronized with the beat the DJ was dropping. Naturally, I hopped on top a table to bust a few dance moves and grab an epic GoPro video so that my friends and family could later share this moment with me.

Would I do it again? Hell yeah, I would.

It was a love-filled morning at Daybreaker and I would definitely go back. The rainbows were flying high and the sprits certainly followed. Towards the end of the rave, I looked over and noticed an older man and something made me feel extremely inclined to dance with him. We vibed and danced and it was amazing—it made me realize that I never really needed my friends to come to Daybreaker with me. I could have gone to this morning party on my own.

Luckily, I had the day off and was able to go home and take a nap. After catching up with my friends later, some said it was their greatest day at work, while others said their day dragged a bit after such an epic morning. We all agree though, Daybreaker was so much more than a morning workout and rave, it changed our mindsets about how we can start our day. I’m not magically one of those morning people who naturally wake up without an alarm clock at 6 A.M. now, but I would consider getting #UpNOut a few days a week. Especially if there’s a dance party involved.

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