The city of Yogyakarta became home to Indonesian metalheads in early December during the JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025, which featured performances by hard rock bands culminating in a headline set by Anthrax. For fans of hard rock music, the name JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025 is certainly familiar, as the event has served for years as a gathering place for metalheads in Yogyakarta to witness performances by top musicians.
The Final Performance at Kridosono Stadium
This year, JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025 took place at Kridosono Stadium in Yogyakarta on Saturday, December 6, 2025, through Sunday, December 7, 2025. Over two days, a lineup of performers showcased their abilities to rock the stage, from Helloween and Ugly Kid Joe to Loudness and Anthrax. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual about the JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025 proceedings, with everything running like a typical concert.
However, behind the scenes, there was an ending to the JogjaROCKarta Festival journey, as this year marked the final edition of the event. Since 2017, the festival has successfully brought in top names including Megadeth and Scorpions, and this year concluded with Anthrax while also providing a platform for emerging local bands.
"With heavy hearts, we announce that JogjaRockArta 2025 is the final edition. We cannot fight time, and now is the moment for this festival to retire with full honor," said Anas Alimi, Founder of Rajawali Indonesia, in Yogyakarta on Friday, December 5, 2025, as reported by Antara.
Birth of Mataram Is Rock Initiative
As a marker of the JogjaROCKarta Festival's conclusion, organizers introduced a new initiative called "Mataram Is Rock." Through this initiative, the two largest hard rock concerts in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java—JogjaROCKarta Festival and Rock In Solo—will unite to strengthen the rock music ecosystem in the region. The question now stands whether fans are ready to welcome Mataram Is Rock as the successor to this beloved festival.
Humanitarian Action: Scott Ian's Guitar for Flood Victims
Beyond the powerful performances by Helloween and Anthrax on stage, the final edition of JogjaROCKarta Festival offered another memorable highlight: a humanitarian action for disaster victims. Indeed, the JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025 organizers deliberately organized this humanitarian initiative as part of the event. The method involved auctioning a guitar belonging to Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, with proceeds dedicated to flood victims.
Ian arrived in Yogyakarta carrying two Jackson Series King V guitars, one of which was selected for auction with all proceeds going to recent flood victims in Sumatra. As widely known, flooding struck multiple areas in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra in late November 2025. The disaster resulted in hundreds of deaths and missing persons, along with thousands more injured and displaced from their homes.
The Auction Process and Winner
The auction ran from Friday morning through Saturday evening, offering bidders not just a memorable piece from Ian but also the opportunity to interact directly with the legend. The auction winner earned the right to meet Ian backstage and receive his autograph on the instrument. Additionally, Ian's guitar was played live on stage during the performance, adding authenticity and emotional value to the memorabilia.
The winner was announced as Nina Silvana, who secured the right to take home Ian's guitar with a winning bid reaching IDR 60,000,000. "SOLD! A bid worth IDR 60,000,000 by @ninasil officially locks Scott Ian's artifact into its new owner's hands. Congratulations to the winner whose courage proved valid! Remember, this amount is not just a number, but a mandate of solidarity that we will fully channel to restore our brothers and sisters in Sumatra," read a post on the official JogjaROCKarta Festival 2025 Instagram account.
Legacy Beyond Music
The auction represented more than just a transaction between a fan and a musician—it symbolized the rock community's solidarity with disaster victims across Indonesia. The humanitarian gesture added profound meaning to the final edition of JogjaROCKarta Festival, demonstrating that the spirit of rock music extends beyond entertainment to encompass compassion and social responsibility. Scott Ian's participation in the charity auction showed the international rock community's willingness to support Indonesia during times of crisis.
The IDR 60 million raised through the guitar auction will be channeled entirely to aid flood victims in Sumatra, providing essential support for recovery and rebuilding efforts. This humanitarian initiative ensured that JogjaROCKarta Festival's final chapter would be remembered not only for its powerful musical performances but also for its meaningful contribution to those in need.
As the curtain closes on JogjaROCKarta Festival after nearly a decade of bringing world-class rock music to Yogyakarta, the event leaves behind a legacy of both musical excellence and community solidarity. The transition to Mataram Is Rock signals a new era for the region's rock music scene, building upon the foundation established by JogjaROCKarta Festival and Rock In Solo.
