Less Hangovers, More Hydration: The Wellness Darty

On Saturday afternoons, fraternity backyards fill with students, drinks flow before the sun goes down, and a hangover waits once it does. Darties, or daytime parties, have long been a staple of the American college social scene, but Gen-Z’s obsession with wellness may be seeping into this tradition. 

We have all seen the headlines that Gen-Z is drinking less and a lot of us probably own the Pilates wrap top from TikTok Shop, but have college students really started to make day drinking “clean girl” too?

The answer is apparently yes. Across college campuses, frats are throwing “wellness darties” where you can find students shotgunning energy drinks instead of beers and doing yoga instead of keg stands.

Recently, a video went viral on TikTok from the University of Alabama, where students were sprawled across the lawn of a fraternity house, dressed in workout clothes, following along to a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout. 

We haven't seen anyone at Elon shotgunning a Celsius just yet, but wellness darties are not unique to Tuscaloosa. Similar events are being held at the University of Arizona and Florida, featuring Pilates, group runs and cold plunges but not a drop of liquor. 

Part of the appeal is that wellness darties give students the social aspect of partying without the consequences. A morning workout can still feel like a social event, but it won't leave you hungover. It gives students a chance to unwind from school, without sacrificing their whole day or ability to get through a Sunday at the library. 

Replacing a bucket of jungle juice with a Pilates instructor may change the vibe, but the core of the experience, the frat house, friends and Saturday afternoon, remains. Maybe that's why this feels more like an evolution than a replacement of a traditional, admittedly less health-conscious, darty.  

This shift seems to be part of a larger trend of wellness or the “clean girl” aesthetic. Social media is flooded with skincare routines, Whole Foods hauls and Solidcore vlogs. Personally, we miss when influencers like Tana Mongeau were posting meltdowns instead of discussing wellness retreats. But shifting away from drinking isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it doesn't mean Gen-Z isn't having fun. 

Wellness has become the fun. People catch up over hot girl walks and run clubs can double as friend groups who grab matcha instead of drinks. That being said, college students are still drinking, even the ones attending wellness darties. The key is balance. 

We at The Edge don't think the college darty is going away anytime soon, even if John Summit is DJing sober in Ibiza. The same frats that are hosting yoga classes are packing their basements come midnight with students ready to party. 

The future of college parties isn't about choosing between wellness and drinking, but making room for both. Gen Z is allowed to want their cold plunges and their darties too.  

Would you attend a wellness darty? Let us know by tagging @theedge on Instagram!