Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour in chaos as she cancels Romania gig and cuts short Dublin show

Rapper cites ‘safety concerns regarding protests in the area’ to cancel appearance at Saga Festival

Nicki Minaj cancelled a show in Romania hours before she was due to perform citing “safety concerns”, barely a day after her concert in Dublin was cut short due to rain.

Minaj rescheduled a gig in Manchester and cancelled a second show in Amsterdam in May following an arrest over possession of drugs.

The rapper, 41, was set to headline the Saga Festival in Bucharest on Sunday, but announced on X that she had been advised by her security to not go to the concert “due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area”.

“Out of concern for the wellbeing of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area,” she said. “I look forward to seeing you all at another time.

“As a mom, I have to make sure I’m making sound decisions for me to make it home to my son and for my team to make it home to their families,” she continued. “To not heed the advice of security at this time is simply not what I think I should be doing. I love you and thank you for your understanding and support.”

The festival organisers confirmed the cancellation on Instagram.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce Nicki Minaj has just cancelled her performance due to concerns for her and her team’s well-being in Romania,” they said. “This has nothing to do with Saga, and is beyond our powers. The news has left us all devastated, and we know it’s a huge disappointment for all of you, just as it is for us.”

The organisers said unscanned tickets for the show would be refunded.

The news upset the singer’s fans.

“I just want to make it clear that the main reason people are even coming to this festival is to see you perform live. The fact that you would only announce you are not coming ONE hour before your set is DISGUSTING!” one fan wrote on X.

“What protests?” another asked.

“The protests are tomorrow and far away from the concert. In fact, you won't even have to cross Bucharest to get to the airport from the concert. This is bulls*** and not respectful to your fans.”

While Minaj did not clarify which protests she was referring to, TMZ reported that a demonstration in the city to protest the government’s fiscal policies was scheduled for Monday morning.

There were also demands for refunds after the “Anaconda” singer’s weekend show in Dublin was cut short.

Minaj’s concert at Malahide Castle was supposed to start at 8pm and run for two hours. But fans said the singer showed up an hour and a half late, leaving them waiting in the rain, and only performed for 45 minutes.

“I hope people at Nicki Minaj tonight at Dublin will be getting a refund,” one fan wrote on X and tagged Ticketmaster.

“@NICKIMINAJ should be ashamed of herself, coming on just before 10pm, hour and a half late, sings twice and goes off to change with 15 minutes left before curfew. No respect for fans.”

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Minaj for comment.