There are certain things I expect to see at a Fresno bar: A lively dance floor, a DJ, people screaming the lyrics to songs they know, and somebody sweating through their clothes like they have been trapped inside a Las Vegas club since 1 a.m.

Yoga mats are not usually on that list.

Yet there I was early Saturday morning, watching people fill a place normally associated with alcohol and lay out yoga mats where you would usually expect drinks to be served.

A run had started at 8 a.m., the party began at 9, and Grand Rising had somehow flipped the traditional club experience completely backward.

That made it the right place to start Local Side Quests, a series about Fresno-area events, businesses, and experiences people overlook, put off trying, or simply never realize are happening around them.

Grand Rising deserved the first spot because it was not simply a wellness event and it was not simply a party. Somehow, it was both.

Please click here to submit a recommendation for Local Side Quests.

I Showed Up Early, but I Wasn’t Running

I arrived early because I wanted to chat with the runners before everything else got started.

For the record, I did not run.

I watched vendors set up while everyone else handled that part, and even before the party began, the space felt different than I expected. The doors were open, the air moved through the space, and the whole setup felt more like an open-air lounge than a morning wellness event.

When the runners returned, they grabbed snacks and filtered back into the space. Then the DJ started, the energy shifted, and people began dancing in a way I absolutely did not expect at that hour.

And when I say dancing, I mean the kind you would expect at a club after 10 p.m., when people have stopped worrying about who is watching.

Except it was 9 a.m.

By 10 a.m., people were literally jumping onto the stage to dance, including some I never would have expected to see up there. They moved with the beat, lost themselves in the music, and for a few minutes seemed completely absorbed in their own little world. I kept overhearing versions of the same explanation from people around me: “I go to these to dance, I don’t care if it’s early.”

A Club Where You Can Get a B12 Shot

There were massages, B12 injections, coffee, matcha, baked goods, acai bowls, mocktails, face painting, cannabis company Embarc, and plenty of other vendors packed into the space.

I decided that if this was going to be my first Local Side Quest, I needed to participate rather than stand around taking notes like I was covering a city council meeting.

So I had an acai bowl, bought a loaf of bread, ordered coffee, drank a mocktail, and, because apparently this is the stage of life I have reached, got a B12 injection while attending a party.

It felt as if somebody had taken a nightclub, farmers market, wellness fair, and run club, then decided there was no reason they could not all exist together.

My biggest criticism was that I wanted more room. There were enough vendors and enough people that the event could have used a larger space.

Still, the crowd was a huge part of why it worked. There were children, young adults, parents, grandparents, runners, non-runners, and people clearly ready to dance, most of them dressed in workout clothes.

Could a Sober Party Really Feel Like a Party?

I was skeptical about whether Grand Rising could actually deliver the atmosphere it promised without alcohol.

There is a social shorthand around drinking and nightlife, especially when it comes to dancing. Alcohol often becomes the thing people use to loosen up and stop feeling self-conscious.

Grand Rising did not have that crutch, which made what happened after the DJ started even more noticeable.

People let their guard down anyway.

The room loosened up, people started dancing, and the energy felt natural rather than forced. Nobody seemed to be waiting for permission to have fun.

That might have been what struck me most. In a traditional club, there is often a point where the alcohol finally gives people permission to stop caring. Here, some people were already onstage dancing before lunch, fully committed to the moment without needing anything stronger than the music and the people around them.

That was the moment the concept clicked for me.

The atmosphere was buzzing, but in a way that still left you capable of going to the gym, running errands, getting lunch, or simply continuing with the rest of your Saturday.

You could run at 8 a.m., party at 9, dance until you were sweating, grab coffee, eat something, get a vitamin shot, and still have almost an entire day ahead of you.

Sage the Gemini and Fresno’s ‘Final Rise’

I found out the day before that Sage the Gemini would be the special guest, and because I had interviewed him before, it was nice when he saw me, said “hello,” and recognized me.

The crowd’s reaction was considerably louder.

People were yelling his songs, dancing, and going off in a way that made it easy to forget the entire thing was happening in the morning.

Sage the Gemini told me he is always excited to return to Fresno, saying local crowds consistently bring energy to his performances.

Watching that reinforced what I had already started thinking: Fresno has the community for more events like this.

We do not need alcohol to anchor every social event, and sober people should not have to choose between staying home and entering spaces where drinking is the main activity. Grand Rising showed there is room for daytime events, fitness mixed with entertainment, and social spaces that do not rely on the traditional nightlife formula.

Unfortunately, I discovered all of that at the end.

The Sept. 12 event was billed as the Final Rise, and by the time I left, I was annoyed with myself because I should have made time to attend one sooner.

That is exactly why I wanted to start Local Side Quests.

There are things happening here that are worth making time for, and I do not want to keep discovering them when they are already on their way out.

The vibes surprised me, the energy surprised me, and the fact that people were willing to completely let loose at 9 in the morning without alcohol surprised me most of all.

I should have gone to more of them.

Send Me on a Side Quest

If there is a Fresno-area event, hidden gem, local tradition, strange activity, business, restaurant, or experience you think people are overlooking, send it my way.

I am looking for the things you tell your friends they have to try, the events you wish received more attention, and the places you keep wondering why nobody talks about.

I cannot promise I will run an 8 a.m. 5K, but after Grand Rising, I apparently cannot rule out getting a B12 shot at a nightclub before breakfast.

Please click here to submit a recommendation for Local Side Quests.

About the Author

Anthony W. Haddad is a Fresno-based reporter and columnist best known for the award-winning Millennial View column series. He covers a wide range of topics, from pressing local issues and community concerns to the everyday challenges and experiences facing millennials today.

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