Radha Agrawal used to party the way many New Yorkers do: hard, loud and late.
“All of us were at the end of getting wasted and staying out until 3 a.m. with mascara running down our faces and just being exhausted the next day,” she recalled. “We wanted to give ourselves another opportunity to still party and have fun, but do it in a way that was healthy and good for you. That's why we started Daybreaker.”
What began as a one-off social experiment in 2013 quickly grew into something much bigger. Born in Brooklyn, Daybreaker launched with a simple premise: build community through movement, music and joy, without alcohol or typical nightlife pressure. Since then, it has become a global force, hosting sunrise dance parties in over sixty cities and drawing more than 800,000 participants at places like the White House lawn, the Pyramids of Giza and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
"We were the first ones at Red Rocks to bring the entire audience to dance on stage so that the community became the performance art, which is a really, really cool thing that never ever happens at Red Rocks," Agrawal says. "It was very special."
Now, as co-founder, CEO and Chief Community Architect, Agrawal is leading Daybreaker through its most ambitious effort yet: the Have Fun, Be Nice Tour, an over 100-stop national campaign designed to help people reconnect through joy, movement and sober celebration. The tour already made one appearance in Denver in May and returns to the city four more times this summer: June 28, July 26, August 16 and September 20. Agrawal says Denver was a natural fit.
"Denver is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and we wanted to provide a supportive dance floor for those who are moving and haven't met people, to have a place they could go to make new friends," Agrawal says. "We love going to cities that are growing because it's a perfect place for people to meet each other in a sober dance environment. Denver is also a very wellness-focused community. We wanted to offer a group experience for people to come to in the morning in Denver that was movement-driven, fun, musical and social."
Each Daybreaker event unfolds in the morning, often beginning with yoga or a coffee social, followed by breathwork and then a high-energy, live-music-fueled dance party — all completely alcohol-free. Depending on the city, guests may encounter DJs, horn sections, live drummers, fire spinners and even breakdancers.
“We’re changing all the dynamics of nightlife,” Agrawal says. “We replaced the bouncer with a hugging committee. We replaced alcohol with green juice. We replaced the dude pushing buttons with a full horn section and fire dancers. Daybreaker gives you a whole performance experience all in the morning when the sun is up."
With a majority-female, minority-led team and zero outside investors, Daybreaker has also become a leader in the growing social wellness movement, offering alternatives to how people gather, celebrate and connect. Its current tour's mission is rooted in joy and a response to our time's deepest anxieties.
"In this political climate, with what's happening in the world, with all the wars, polarization and the insanity that we're experiencing as everyday citizens, we wanted to get back to the basics," Agrawal says. "We thought about these two phrases: 'Have fun. Be nice.' Let's just find common ground in that experience of just having fun and being nice to one another as a core value for the tour, and let's get back into our bodies without substances."
In Denver, the next four Daybreaker events will pop up in some of the city’s most vibrant downtown spaces, including at the Dairy Block on June 28 and July 26, Union Station on August 16, and back at the Dairy Block on September 20. But no matter the venue, Agrawal says it all comes back to the dance floor and what happens when people feel safe enough to let go.
“I'm not a dancer, and you don’t have to be a dancer to attend these events,” Agrawal says. “Back in the 1950s, Americans went out dancing at a social club. It used to be this magical community that you did intergenerationally. But, in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, competition dance show choreography made it appear intimidating to get on the dance floor. We want to bring back that social dance landscape. We're so lonely and in our heads as a population; we want to get people back in their bodies, back on the dance floor in a social dance capacity."
While the experience can be transformative right away, Agrawal encourages newcomers to give it a few tries.
“It takes three or four Daybreaker events before you fully feel like you're in the groove," she says. "Don't expect to jump right. Let yourself stand on the perimeter at the beginning, until one day you're like, ‘Fuck it. What am I embarrassed about? Why am I feeling so insecure? Look at that eighty-year-old lady over there! She's dancing. Look at that five-year-old little girl there! She's dancing.' Then, all of a sudden, showing up in these welcoming spaces allows you to dance freely."
For Agrawal, who has spent more than a decade building this movement, the motivation is simple. The ripple effects of sober dance on mental health, confidence and even career are too powerful to ignore.
“Dance is the oldest healing technology that exists,” she says. “It gets us out of our heads and back into our bodies. It helps us release stress and move through trauma. And it reminds us that we’re not alone.”
That kind of presence, moving with joy in daylight and without pretense, is at the heart of what Daybreaker is trying to cultivate. The Have Fun, Be Nice Tour isn’t just about dancing in the morning; it’s about reclaiming connection, both with yourself and the people around you.
“Dance is a practice of courage,” Agrawal says. “If you’re willing to dance sober, in daylight, in community, you can do anything. Ask for the job. Start the project. Talk to the stranger in an elevator. Meet a girlfriend or a boyfriend. You can climb whatever mountain you're climbing with so much more ease. Once you're comfortable in your body, everything becomes possible."
Have Fun, Be Nice Tour, Saturday, June 28, at the Dairy Block, Saturday, July 26, at the Dairy Block, Saturday, August 16, at Union Station and Saturday, September 20, at the Dairy Block. Learn more at daybreaker.com.
“All of us were at the end of getting wasted and staying out until 3 a.m. with mascara running down our faces and just being exhausted the next day,” she recalled. “We wanted to give ourselves another opportunity to still party and have fun, but do it in a way that was healthy and good for you. That's why we started Daybreaker.”
What began as a one-off social experiment in 2013 quickly grew into something much bigger. Born in Brooklyn, Daybreaker launched with a simple premise: build community through movement, music and joy, without alcohol or typical nightlife pressure. Since then, it has become a global force, hosting sunrise dance parties in over sixty cities and drawing more than 800,000 participants at places like the White House lawn, the Pyramids of Giza and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Daybreaker invited the entire crowd to dance on stage at Red Rocks, "so that the community became the performance art."
Courtesy of Daybreaker
Now, as co-founder, CEO and Chief Community Architect, Agrawal is leading Daybreaker through its most ambitious effort yet: the Have Fun, Be Nice Tour, an over 100-stop national campaign designed to help people reconnect through joy, movement and sober celebration. The tour already made one appearance in Denver in May and returns to the city four more times this summer: June 28, July 26, August 16 and September 20. Agrawal says Denver was a natural fit.
"Denver is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and we wanted to provide a supportive dance floor for those who are moving and haven't met people, to have a place they could go to make new friends," Agrawal says. "We love going to cities that are growing because it's a perfect place for people to meet each other in a sober dance environment. Denver is also a very wellness-focused community. We wanted to offer a group experience for people to come to in the morning in Denver that was movement-driven, fun, musical and social."
Each Daybreaker event unfolds in the morning, often beginning with yoga or a coffee social, followed by breathwork and then a high-energy, live-music-fueled dance party — all completely alcohol-free. Depending on the city, guests may encounter DJs, horn sections, live drummers, fire spinners and even breakdancers.
“We’re changing all the dynamics of nightlife,” Agrawal says. “We replaced the bouncer with a hugging committee. We replaced alcohol with green juice. We replaced the dude pushing buttons with a full horn section and fire dancers. Daybreaker gives you a whole performance experience all in the morning when the sun is up."
With a majority-female, minority-led team and zero outside investors, Daybreaker has also become a leader in the growing social wellness movement, offering alternatives to how people gather, celebrate and connect. Its current tour's mission is rooted in joy and a response to our time's deepest anxieties.
"In this political climate, with what's happening in the world, with all the wars, polarization and the insanity that we're experiencing as everyday citizens, we wanted to get back to the basics," Agrawal says. "We thought about these two phrases: 'Have fun. Be nice.' Let's just find common ground in that experience of just having fun and being nice to one another as a core value for the tour, and let's get back into our bodies without substances."
In Denver, the next four Daybreaker events will pop up in some of the city’s most vibrant downtown spaces, including at the Dairy Block on June 28 and July 26, Union Station on August 16, and back at the Dairy Block on September 20. But no matter the venue, Agrawal says it all comes back to the dance floor and what happens when people feel safe enough to let go.
“I'm not a dancer, and you don’t have to be a dancer to attend these events,” Agrawal says. “Back in the 1950s, Americans went out dancing at a social club. It used to be this magical community that you did intergenerationally. But, in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, competition dance show choreography made it appear intimidating to get on the dance floor. We want to bring back that social dance landscape. We're so lonely and in our heads as a population; we want to get people back in their bodies, back on the dance floor in a social dance capacity."
While the experience can be transformative right away, Agrawal encourages newcomers to give it a few tries.
“It takes three or four Daybreaker events before you fully feel like you're in the groove," she says. "Don't expect to jump right. Let yourself stand on the perimeter at the beginning, until one day you're like, ‘Fuck it. What am I embarrassed about? Why am I feeling so insecure? Look at that eighty-year-old lady over there! She's dancing. Look at that five-year-old little girl there! She's dancing.' Then, all of a sudden, showing up in these welcoming spaces allows you to dance freely."
For Agrawal, who has spent more than a decade building this movement, the motivation is simple. The ripple effects of sober dance on mental health, confidence and even career are too powerful to ignore.
“Dance is the oldest healing technology that exists,” she says. “It gets us out of our heads and back into our bodies. It helps us release stress and move through trauma. And it reminds us that we’re not alone.”
That kind of presence, moving with joy in daylight and without pretense, is at the heart of what Daybreaker is trying to cultivate. The Have Fun, Be Nice Tour isn’t just about dancing in the morning; it’s about reclaiming connection, both with yourself and the people around you.
“Dance is a practice of courage,” Agrawal says. “If you’re willing to dance sober, in daylight, in community, you can do anything. Ask for the job. Start the project. Talk to the stranger in an elevator. Meet a girlfriend or a boyfriend. You can climb whatever mountain you're climbing with so much more ease. Once you're comfortable in your body, everything becomes possible."
Have Fun, Be Nice Tour, Saturday, June 28, at the Dairy Block, Saturday, July 26, at the Dairy Block, Saturday, August 16, at Union Station and Saturday, September 20, at the Dairy Block. Learn more at daybreaker.com.
