July the 3rd, 2025 – Here’s a lowdown of everything you need to know as we rapidly approach the record-breaking Thompson concert scheduled for this Saturday.
As Index writes, Marko Perković Thompson will host an eye watering amount of spectators at the Zagreb Hippodrome on July the 5th in his much anticipated concert. Approximately 450,000 tickets have been purchased (of which around 350,000 were bought on the territory of Croatia). The country’s Security Headquarters has stated that all services are ready for whatever might occur that evening.
A total of 14,370 people will be involved in securing the record-breaking Thompson concert. That includes 6,523 police officers, including assistance from 12 continental police departments, 4,993 security guards, deployed at around 520 entrances to the Hippodrome, 70 professional firefighters, who will be deployed in a dotted manner in and around the concert area, and 26 emergency teams, with a total of 37 vehicles (17 inside the concert area, 10 in the surrounding area and 10 spread across the rest of the city).
In addition to all of the above, rescuers, divers and police vessels will be deployed at Bundek park, while a 400-bed Emergency Medical Intervention Centre will be established at the Zagreb Fair (Velesajam). On top of all that, around 50 more beds will be set up at Bundek park in case they’re needed.
It should also be noted that a sort of improvised police station will be set up at Pavilion 25 at the Zagreb Fair at which lost or stolen items can be reported, or in case any other problems arise.
The operational headquarters of the Interior Ministry (MUP) for securing the record-breaking Thompson concert was formed on the basis of a decision taken by Interior Minister Davor Božinović. At its helm sits Deputy Director General of the Police Damir Barić. The headquarters consists of 26 organisational units, most of which also have their own sub-headquarters with a special communicator each.
“We only actually had three months to prepare for this extremely challenging task. This security is of special responsibility and importance to us,” said Barić. The security measures in this particular segment includes 5 different communication systems (owing the fact that we can expect the total congestion and delays of mobile networks), and 2 helipads (one at the Zagreb Fair and one between the Sava Embankment and the Sava River, to accommodate medical and police helicopters).
There will also of course be various street closures carried out across three phases: three neighbourhoods around the Hippodrome will be closed from Friday evening, and other streets will be closed off as needed. Pedestrian zones will be set up within those closed neighbourhoods, with exceptions for the vehicles of accredited vehicles and those of residents. Food and drinks will not be allowed to be brought in with the exception of bottles of water. Bags and backpacks whose contents cannot be visually seen will also strictly not be permitted into the concert area.
State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Marija Bubaš said that a risk analysis has been conducted and that the healthcare system is as ready as it possibly can be, but that people also need to be prepared for issues.
“It’s being recommended that everyone with any kind health problems take their medication on time, have a list of their medications on their person, as well as their personal documents and a contact person in case hospital care is required for any reason,” she said, adding that the effectiveness of medical intervention will also depend on what the person has been doing in the previous 24 hours. The alert level has been raised in hospitals in Zagreb, the surrounding counties, as well as in those not directly adjacent to the city.
She emphasised that the number 112 is not to be called called in case of need at the record-breaking Thompson concert, because the services are already there and deployed on the ground.
The head of the HAK Information Centre Hrvoje Pećnik compared this event to the Ed Sheeran concert at the same venue, which had around 75,000 visitors.
“The number of 450,000 tickets shows how much of a traffic challenge this is going to be. HAK got involved in the organisation on time and we’ve provided around 20 roadside assistance vehicles on the day of the concert, and 12 vehicles which will work overnight, which is four times more than usual,” said Pećnik.
All toll booths will remain open, and employees will hand out cards and bottles of water. All police capacities will be deployed on the motorways with the aim of reducing waiting times. The arrival of 18,000 passengers by plane has been announced, and the priority traffic route will be via the Homeland Bridge (Domovinski most).
A special area has been organised for persons with disabilities next to the VIP zone “south” (jug) and special transportation has also been provided to the immediate vicinity of the entrance, with the obligation to notify the organisers in advance.
So far, no protected persons have been announced. As for the possible display of prohibited symbols and signs, the Police Directorate says that they will proceed in accordance with the law, as they have done so far, and that the recordings of the event will be analysed later as part of criminal investigations.
“We’re as ready as we can be for the task ahead. Absolute security does not exist anywhere, but we will do everything to ensure that this event passes without any problems,” Barić stressed, before adding that procedures have been developed for all possible scenarios, including the worst case ones. He noted that all police stations have been reinforced. The costs of additional engagement of services will be borne by the organiser, who will be invoiced after the concert ends.
