diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/hero/index.tsx b/src/app/conf/2025/components/hero/index.tsx
index adab4cdc89..b7d3eee414 100644
--- a/src/app/conf/2025/components/hero/index.tsx
+++ b/src/app/conf/2025/components/hero/index.tsx
@@ -56,18 +56,16 @@ export function Hero() {
 
 function DateAndLocation() {
   return (
-    <div className="flex flex-col gap-4 md:flex-row md:gap-6">
+    <div className="flex flex-col gap-4 typography-body-md md:flex-row md:gap-6">
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-        <CalendarIcon className="size-6" />
+        <CalendarIcon className="size-5 sm:size-6" />
         <time dateTime="2025-09-08">September 08</time>
         <span>-</span>
         <time dateTime="2025-09-10">10, 2025</time>
       </div>
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-        <PinIcon className="size-6" />
-        <address className="not-italic typography-body-md">
-          Amsterdam, Netherlands
-        </address>
+        <PinIcon className="size-5 sm:size-6" />
+        <address className="not-italic">Amsterdam, Netherlands</address>
       </div>
     </div>
   )
@@ -95,7 +93,7 @@ function Stripes() {
       }}
     >
       <div
-        className="absolute inset-0 bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,hsl(var(--color-pri-light))_0%,hsl(319deg_100%_90%_/_0.4)_100%)] dark:bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,hsl(var(--color-pri-dark))_0%,hsl(319_100%_20%_/_1)_100%)]"
+        className="absolute inset-0 bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,hsl(var(--color-pri-light))_0%,hsl(319deg_100%_90%_/_0.2)_100%)] dark:bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,hsl(var(--color-pri-dark))_0%,hsl(319_100%_20%_/_1)_100%)]"
         style={{
           maskImage: maskEven,
           WebkitMaskImage: maskEven,
diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/components/navbar.tsx b/src/app/conf/2025/components/navbar.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..10b99b2d9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/conf/2025/components/navbar.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+"use client"
+
+import {
+  ReactElement,
+  ReactNode,
+  useCallback,
+  useEffect,
+  useState,
+} from "react"
+import NextLink from "next/link"
+import { clsx } from "clsx"
+import { usePathname } from "next/navigation"
+
+import { HamburgerIcon, CrossIcon } from "@/icons"
+
+import { Badge } from "../../_components/badge"
+
+export interface NavbarProps {
+  links: { href: string; children: React.ReactNode; "aria-disabled"?: true }[]
+  year: number
+}
+
+export function Navbar({ links, year }: NavbarProps): ReactElement {
+  const pathname = usePathname()
+  const [mobileDrawerOpen, setMobileDrawerOpen] = useState(false)
+
+  const handleDrawerClick = useCallback(() => {
+    setMobileDrawerOpen(prev => !prev)
+  }, [])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setMobileDrawerOpen(false)
+  }, [pathname])
+
+  const navbarHeight = "70px"
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <div
+        /* pink background "prelude" */ className={clsx(
+          "top-0 w-full scale-y-105 bg-pri-base dark:bg-pri-darker",
+          mobileDrawerOpen ? "static" : "absolute",
+        )}
+        style={{
+          height: navbarHeight,
+        }}
+      />
+      <header
+        // todo: not white, but ALWAYS contrasting color, either white or black depending on background
+        className={clsx(
+          "top-0 z-10 w-full bg-white/20 font-mono text-white antialiased",
+          mobileDrawerOpen ? "fixed" : "sticky",
+        )}
+        style={
+          {
+            "--navbar-h": navbarHeight,
+          } as {}
+        }
+      >
+        <BackdropBlur />
+        <div className="container flex h-[var(--navbar-h)] items-center justify-between gap-5">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 text-xl/none uppercase">
+            <NextLink href="/">
+              <GraphQLLogo className="h-6" />
+            </NextLink>
+            <span>/ GraphQLConf {year}</span>
+          </div>
+
+          {mobileDrawerOpen && (
+            <div
+              onClick={handleDrawerClick}
+              className="fixed inset-0 top-[calc(var(--navbar-h)+1px)] z-10 bg-neu-0/40 backdrop-blur-[6.4px]"
+            />
+          )}
+
+          <nav
+            className={clsx(
+              "inset-0 z-20 flex gap-7 typography-menu max-lg:fixed max-lg:mt-[calc(var(--navbar-h)+1px)] max-lg:flex-col max-md:min-w-[50%] sm:max-lg:p-4 lg:items-end",
+              mobileDrawerOpen
+                ? "translate-x-0 text-neu-900"
+                : "text-white max-lg:translate-x-full",
+            )}
+          >
+            <div className="flex w-full flex-col lg:mt-0 lg:block">
+              {links.map(
+                ({ "aria-disabled": isDisabled, children, ...link }) => (
+                  <NextLink
+                    aria-disabled={isDisabled}
+                    key={link.href}
+                    {...link}
+                    // if external link, open in new tab
+                    {...(link.href.startsWith("https") && {
+                      target: "_blank",
+                      rel: "noopener noreferrer",
+                    })}
+                    className={clsx(
+                      "p-5 underline-offset-4 hover:underline aria-disabled:pointer-events-none max-lg:text-base",
+                      pathname === link.href && "underline",
+                    )}
+                  >
+                    {children}
+                    {isDisabled && (
+                      <sup className="ml-2">
+                        <Badge className="text-white">Soon</Badge>
+                      </sup>
+                    )}
+                  </NextLink>
+                ),
+              )}
+            </div>
+          </nav>
+
+          <button
+            className="z-40 ml-auto size-6 text-white lg:hidden"
+            onClick={handleDrawerClick}
+          >
+            {mobileDrawerOpen ? <CrossIcon /> : <HamburgerIcon />}
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </header>
+    </>
+  )
+}
+
+function GraphQLLogo(props: React.SVGProps<SVGSVGElement>) {
+  return (
+    <svg viewBox="0 0 100 100" fill="currentColor" {...props}>
+      <path
+        fill-rule="evenodd"
+        clip-rule="evenodd"
+        d="M50 6.90308L87.323 28.4515V71.5484L50 93.0968L12.677 71.5484V28.4515L50 6.90308ZM16.8647 30.8693V62.5251L44.2795 15.0414L16.8647 30.8693ZM50 13.5086L18.3975 68.2457H81.6025L50 13.5086ZM77.4148 72.4334H22.5852L50 88.2613L77.4148 72.4334ZM83.1353 62.5251L55.7205 15.0414L83.1353 30.8693V62.5251Z"
+      />
+      <circle cx="50" cy="9.3209" r="8.82" />
+      <circle cx="85.2292" cy="29.6605" r="8.82" />
+      <circle cx="85.2292" cy="70.3396" r="8.82" />
+      <circle cx="50" cy="90.6791" r="8.82" />
+      <circle cx="14.7659" cy="70.3396" r="8.82" />
+      <circle cx="14.7659" cy="29.6605" r="8.82" />
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
+
+function BackdropBlur() {
+  const mask = "linear-gradient(to bottom, #000 0% 50%, transparent 50% 100%)"
+  const edgeMask =
+    "linear-gradient(to bottom, black 0, black 1.1px, transparent 1.1px)"
+  return (
+    <>
+      <div
+        // note: we can't use the background trick to reduce flickering, because we have many section
+        // background colors and big images, so we'd have to change the --bg var with javascript
+        className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 -z-10 h-[200%] backdrop-blur-[6.4px]"
+        style={{
+          maskImage: mask,
+          WebkitMaskImage: mask,
+        }}
+      />
+      <div
+        className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 -z-10 h-full translate-y-full bg-white/50 backdrop-blur-sm backdrop-brightness-200 backdrop-grayscale-[50%]"
+        style={{
+          maskImage: edgeMask,
+          WebkitMaskImage: edgeMask,
+        }}
+      />
+    </>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/app/conf/2025/layout.tsx b/src/app/conf/2025/layout.tsx
index 5cc02638a8..271ae1807c 100644
--- a/src/app/conf/2025/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/conf/2025/layout.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { ReactElement, ReactNode } from "react"
 import { Metadata } from "next"
-import { Header } from "../_components/header"
 import { Footer } from "../_components/footer"
 import { GraphQLConf, HostedByGraphQLFoundation } from "@/icons"
 import NextLink from "next/link"
 import { NewFontsStyleTag } from "../../fonts"
 import "../../colors.css"
+import { Navbar } from "./components/navbar"
 
 // @ts-expect-error: we want to import the same version as Nextra for the main page
 import { ThemeProvider } from "next-themes"
@@ -36,16 +36,8 @@ export default function Layout({
   return (
     <>
       <NewFontsStyleTag />
-      <Header
-        logo={
-          <NextLink
-            href="/conf/2025"
-            className="nextra-logo flex items-center gap-2 text-white"
-          >
-            <GraphQLConf className="h-6" />
-            <span className="select-none text-xl/none">2025</span>
-          </NextLink>
-        }
+      <Navbar
+        year={2025}
         links={[
           { children: "Sponsor", href: "/conf/2025/#sponsors" },
           { children: "Submit to Speak", href: "/conf/2025/#speakers" },
@@ -54,10 +46,9 @@ export default function Layout({
           { children: "Resources", href: "/conf/2025/resources" },
           { children: "FAQ", href: "/conf/2025/#faq" },
         ]}
-        is2025
       />
       <ThemeProvider attribute="class">
-        <div className="bg-neu-0 text-neu-900">{children}</div>
+        <div className="bg-neu-0 text-neu-900 antialiased">{children}</div>
       </ThemeProvider>
       <Footer
         logo={
diff --git a/src/app/conf/_components/button.tsx b/src/app/conf/_components/button.tsx
index 097d59d5c1..87dde8edb4 100644
--- a/src/app/conf/_components/button.tsx
+++ b/src/app/conf/_components/button.tsx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ export function Button({
   return disabled ? (
     <span
       className={clsx(
-        "inline-flex w-fit cursor-default whitespace-nowrap rounded border-0 px-6 py-2 text-center text-sm no-underline transition ease-in-out sm:text-base",
+        "inline-flex w-fit cursor-default whitespace-nowrap rounded border-0 px-6 py-2 text-center text-sm no-underline subpixel-antialiased transition ease-in-out sm:text-base",
         "bg-gray-400 font-medium text-white",
         className,
       )}
diff --git a/tailwind.config.ts b/tailwind.config.ts
index 9bbc1cb53a..42f00126eb 100644
--- a/tailwind.config.ts
+++ b/tailwind.config.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ const config: Config = {
         },
         ".typography-body-md": {
           fontSize: "14px",
-          fontWeight: "300",
           "@screen md": {
             fontSize: "16px",
           },