Dino Merlin concert in Serbia canceled at the last minute. Here is why

Dino Merlin’s planned concert in Kraljevo was canceled only days before the Sept. 5 event, after organizers said the company hired to handle its technical production failed to deliver the required conditions.

Belgrade-based Digi Media Production had responsibility for the concert’s full production, including the stage and technical arrangements. Organizers said the company knew the deadlines and requirements from the beginning, but did not fulfill its contractual obligations. They rejected any attempt to shift responsibility for the cancellation onto them.

“We cannot take the risk of holding the concert because the other contractual party failed to provide what it was required to ensure under the contract. The safety of the performer, audience and all participants was and remains our absolute priority,” the organizers said.

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We cannot take the risk of holding the concert because the other contractual party failed to provide what it was required to ensure under the contract. The safety of the performer, audience and all participants was and remains our absolute priority.

The cancellation came after an incident at the planned venue on Aug. 30. Organizers said an unknown person broke an exterior window at part of the Aero Club “Mihajlo Petrović” building and threw in an incendiary material. Police and crime-scene technicians inspected the site, prepared an official record and notified the duty public prosecutor in Kraljevo.

Merlin’s appearance had already divided opinion locally. Protest banners and an online petition calling for the concert to be banned appeared in recent weeks, with more than 3,000 signatures reported at the time. Some veterans’ associations in Kraljevo also called for the performance not to take place.

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Today, on Aug. 30, 2026, during the morning, an unknown person set fire to part of the building belonging to the Mihajlo Petrović Aero Club in Kraljevo, where Dino Merlin’s concert was scheduled for Sept. 5, 2026.