The dance floor shudders to the thud of the bass and the dancers raise their arms in the air, while singing to the music. Eibhish, 26, surrenders to the rhythm, his eyes closed…as the sun slowly rises over the Thames, lifting the mist enveloping London’s Tower Bridge.
The young Irishwoman will leave the party in around an hour, and head straight to her job – teaching Shakespeare to youngsters coming from deprived backgrounds. ”This is my first morning rave,” she says. “I would never have believed it – it’s such a good atmosphere, and everybody is sober.” Morning Gloryville is a party trend that has caught on over the past year. It relies on coffee and fruit smoothies to keep its devotees going.
In this party there are no people slinking away to a corner; every action and person is out in the light of day, including the heavily tattooed man doing his yoga in the corner. ”We want a new approach to celebrating,” says Dajana Trtanj, 31, an organiser who was also there at the birth of the ‘Pre-Work Party’ in May 2013.
”By the time you turn 30 you’re very busy, you have children, and you can’t afford to get ‘wasted’ any more,” she adds. Several of the men and women have brought their children. ”It’s also a great way to exercise. After a while you feel all happy,” says the professional actress, who doubles as ‘lead thespian’ at Morning Gloryville events in east London. But you have to get up early. The queues form outside the club doors from 6:30 am.
The décor, with its balloons, is reminiscent of a child’s birthday party. Assistants dressed as angels work to enhance the positive atmosphere. There are free massages. By 10:30am the party is over.
Jessica, 24, is attending her fourth morning rave, despite having to take an hour-long pre-dawn trek across town. The teacher slowly winds down, scrubs off the blue-green glitter and swaps her leopard leggings for more conventional attire. She hardly stands out here, competing for attention with several unicorns, a goblin in a dressing gown and a bee. Morning Gloryville has expanded well beyond London, to venues in New York, Tokyo, Zurich and Paris. Bangalore in India is next on the list and Trtanj says there are plans to take ‘dawn dancing’ to trendy Berlin too.
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