After 13 years, Northern Bass is changing its format.

This summer, the festival will return as JNGL25, a two-day event centred on the Jungle Stage, moving away from its usual three-day format.

Festival Director Gareth Popham says last year was a high point, but attendance fell short of expectations, and rising production costs made maintaining the previous setup unsustainable.

“Last summer was a high point,” says Popham. “But behind the scenes, the squeeze was real. Attendance didn’t quite hit the mark, and with the continued rise in production costs, it became clear that something had to change.”

The new format will reduce capacity to 6,000 people, about half of previous years. Ticketing has also shifted to more affordable one-day and two-day passes, with all previous tickets automatically updated as of 8am today (July 31st).

View this post on Instagram

Love Music?

Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.

A post shared by Northern Bass NZ (@northernbassnz)

Popham stressed the importance of acting quickly for those without tickets. “If you already have a ticket, hold onto it; you’re one of the lucky ones. And if you haven’t bought one yet, don’t wait. Once these are gone, they’re gone.”

The festival has not ruled out returning to its full three-day format in the future.

The announcement comes at a challenging time for live music. Both locally and in Australia, the live music scene is under intense pressure. There were concerns that Australia’s Good Things festival might follow the same path as Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo , which Rolling Stone AU/NZ revealed will not return in 2025.

Held in rural Kaiwaka, Northern Bass is known for its diverse range of electronic music and draws fans from across New Zealand. The event has become a key fixture in the country’s festival calendar, known for high-energy performances and atmosphere. Last year’s lineup featured British rappers AJ Tracey and Ghetts, as well as local acts Melodownz, Lee Mvtthews, and Church & AP collaborators Dera Meelan and Deadforest.

The full lineup for NB JNGL25 will be announced at 5:30pm on Thursday, August 14th.