Economic pressures and audience habits are reshaping NZ's iconic music festivals. Photo / Splore Festival
Economic pressures and audience habits are reshaping NZ's iconic music festivals. Photo / Splore Festival
Two North Island music festivals are refreshing their formats in the face of economic pressures.
New Year’s festival Northern Bass says it will “press pause” on its usual three-day, three-stage format and introduce a tighter, more focused two-day experience for its 2025/26 iteration.
Held in the summer hotspot ofMangawhai, just over an hour north of Auckland, the festival will return on December 30 and 31 under the name Northern Bass Jngl25 – with festivities centred around a single “jungle stage”.
“Last summer was a high point,” Northern Bass director Gareth Popham said.
“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.”
This summer, Northern Bass will press pause on the traditional three-day, three-stage format and reimagine what the event looks like for 2025/26.
The new format reduces the event’s capacity to about 6000 people, roughly half of previous years. Accordingly, ticket prices have been adjusted; a first-release one-day pass now costs $170 and two-day passes are priced at $220. The festival will announce its lineup on Thursday, August 14.
Organisers said the new format was a pivot, not a step back, allowing the team to double down on what makes Northern Bass truly special.
“Festivals worldwide are facing similar pressures: economic uncertainty, audience expectations, and the increasing cost of hosting large-scale events. For Northern Bass, this is an opportunity to adapt without compromise, protecting what matters most and shaping the future experience.”
The festival remains committed to returning to the full three-day format “when the time is right”.
“For now, the focus is on delivering the same unforgettable energy in a refined and intimate setting.”
Splore Festival will implement several strategic changes next year. Photo / Ngaru Garland
Later in the summer festival schedule, Splore returns, promising to deliver a revitalised vision after a planned fallow year in 2025.
“Festivals everywhere are under pressure,” said Splore Festival director John Minty announcing the renewed purpose, “but Splore’s story is one of adaptation. We took a breath so we could build a future. Strengthen the foundations, tend to our roots.”
Returning to Auckland’s Tāpapakanga Regional Park, east of Kawakawa Bay, from February 20-22, 2026, Splore will implement several strategic changes next year.
Shaquille Wasasala (aka Half Queen) is now working as a music curator alongside Minty, who has been the sole music curator of the festival since 2005. Organisers said the appointment was a sign of their fresh approach to programming, with “a new generation of music curators steering the sound and vibe of Splore 2026″.
Shaquille Wasasala (aka Half Queen) is now working as music curator for Splore. Photo / Facebook
The festival is also offering a ready-made tent option for campers who want to just turn up.
They are also introducing a flexible PayPlan feature through100% Kiwi-owned and operated ticketing company iTicket, which they say is aimed at making Splore more accessible in the current economic climate.
Organisers said the new initiatives were examples of evolving to meet the moment, “without losing the spirit that’s kept it going since 1998″.
The changes to Splore and Northern Bass coincide with the announcement that Electric Avenue, the annual summer music festival held in February each year in Christchurch’s Hagley Park, has been bought by global concert company Live Nation.
The American multinational entertainment company today announced its acquisition of festival producer Team Event, which owns and organises New Zealand’s largest two-day music festival, saying the purchase “further expands its commitment to live entertainment in the Southern Hemisphere”.
