Dubioza kolektiv to receive €118,000 for New Year's Eve performance on Ban Jelačić Square

(Patria) - After the performers for the New Year's Eve 2026 celebration on Zagreb's Ban Jelačić Square have been confirmed, the artists' fees have also been revealed, reports Jutarnji list.

The Zagreb Tourist Board, which fully covers the costs of the music program contracted by the City of Zagreb, is allocating a total of €150,000 for four bands, but the majority of this amount goes to just one act.

These amounts refer exclusively to performances, excluding additional costs for accommodation, transportation, and requests from the hospitality rider. These items will further increase the total cost of bringing performers to Zagreb's main square.

The popular Bosnian band Dubioza kolektiv, as the main star of the evening, is being paid €118,000 net, an amount that by itself accounts for almost 80 percent of the entire fee budget.

Other performers are in a completely different financial category: Elemental will receive €17,000 for their performance, while Idem and Luzeri will enter the New Year with net fees of €8,000 and €7,000, respectively.

Meanwhile, the City of Zagreb is allocating approximately €135,000 from its own budget for technical production, stage, security, and logistical services.

This also means that the final cost of the public New Year's program will exceed a quarter of a million euros, with the music portion led by Dubioza, whose fee significantly surpasses all other performers combined.

According to available data from previous years, this year's program thus becomes the most expensive New Year's Eve celebration in recent times and the most expensive during the current city administration's term.

For comparison, some previous celebrations, including those with multiple performers, cost less than Dubioza kolektiv's fee alone this year, an amount that approaches the total budgets of past New Year's programs on Ban Jelačić Square.