It's the end of November, and more than 300 people are pouring into a rooftop bar in Sydney's Darling Harbour for a "Space Pirates" themed dance party.

The revellers, dressed like extras in a Ziggy Stardust music video, make way to allow dancers draped in flashing LED lights to take centre stage.

The organiser, Jasper Vallance, had been splashing a lot of cash on professional dancers, DJs, extravagant lighting and costumes at these events in a bid to create the "coolest parties possible".

He said he needed the draw cards because people still weren't convinced they could let loose at a dance party without alcohol.

"People are reluctant because they think it was organised by Hillsong or something," he said.

The costumes are a feature of these parties. ( Supplied: Xstatic Sunsets )

It was the third sober dance party his company Xstatic Sunsets has organised since launching this year.

There was not a drop of booze on site. Cocktail ingredients were substituted with tea, kombucha and flavoured syrups.

Sometimes, Mr Vallance said, people were "cheeky" enough to show up already drunk.

"But honestly, it'd be more awkward for them than anyone else."

Jasper Vallance wants to see the parties become more mainstream. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

Drinking rates in NSW are steady and with the Sydney's lockout laws lifting in the CBD and Oxford Street on January 14, the sober party movement is struggling to cement its place in the Harbour City.

In 2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said 191.2 million litres of pure alcohol was available for consumption in Australia.

An ABS alcohol survey of adults in 2017 found only 11.6 per cent of respondents reported they never had a drink before.

The latest HealthStats NSW figures showed a third of adults consumed at least two standard drinks per session, more than what authorities at the time considered a "healthy" threshold.

But adherents of the sober movement say people are finding more and more reasons to give up alcohol.

Cocktails at the sober parties were made of tea, spices, fruits and flavoured syrups. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

For six years, Mr Vallance organised sunset parties at Burning Seed — an Australian regional festival associated with the famous Burning Man in the United States.

For some, the festivals are week-long benders filled with booze and drugs.

But Mr Vallance made a switch after realising the events were taking a toll on his mental health.

"I had sort of enjoyed drugs in moderation — you know, right time and right place," he said.

"But then I personally went through depression after a painful breakup and I realised alcohol and drugs weren't serving me."

A reveller flashes a smile at one of the parties earlier this year. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

He realised he actually loved dancing, specifically the "natural high" which came with cutting shapes on the dance floor.

He began to see drugs as an obstacle to this.

"Where ever you go, there's alcohol and that's what people drink and that's what people do," he said.

"I realised there weren't environments where people could even experience that possibility of a natural high."

Mia Lipari performing acrobatics at a circus-themed party in August. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

For Rache Moore, it was firstly about her physical health.

Like Mr Vallance, she also drank and, occasionally, used drugs, until she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

She couldn't bare the thought of fading from the festival scene entirely and so became enthralled with wellness and "conscious" partying.

"I had to stop drinking from the medication and just became a lot more aware of what I was putting into my body because a couple of drinks would equal pain the next day," she said.

"So it was really easy for me to stop."

Rache Moore said drugs and alcohol would exacerbate her arthritis. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

She said the sobriety gave her a sense of clarity about the role of alcohol in her life and said she would never drink again.

"For some people they drink because that's pretty much their whole world," she said.

"When I didn't drink or take drugs, [some] friendships kind of felt a little bit empty because I wasn't participating in that lifestyle anymore.

"When you're clear and cohesive, the conversations you have, they're more authentic — they're not coming from Dutch courage, you know?"

Performers said the sober events had a respectful vibe. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

But despite the rave reviews, Mr Vallance said his sober parties were struggling to turn a profit.

Alongside image problems, he said even a large, global city like Sydney has few options for vice-free partying.

He said noise restrictions narrowed viable options for venues and traditional bars didn't want them.

"It's a real problem because bars do make money from alcohol and at a sober party even though people buy non-alcoholic drinks they don't buy the same volume of drinks," Mr Vallance said.

"So this really rules out licensed venues."

Performers warming up the crowd at an event in Darling Harbour. ( ABC News: Kevin Nguyen )

Despite his company's first year being financially rocky, Mr Vallance remains optimistic.

"I truly believe the sober movement is going to become mainstream," Mr Vallance said.

"People are realising there's an option to party without drugs or alcohol … because over consuming isn't serving them.



"I think that's what's going to drive the change and is driving the change."