diff --git a/backend/__tests__/routes/adminEvents.smoke.test.js b/backend/__tests__/routes/adminEvents.smoke.test.js
index 2a1fa7b6..713dcda1 100644
--- a/backend/__tests__/routes/adminEvents.smoke.test.js
+++ b/backend/__tests__/routes/adminEvents.smoke.test.js
@@ -117,6 +117,46 @@ describe('admin events CRUD endpoints (smoke)', () => {
       expect(queued).toHaveLength(0);
     });
 
+    it('409s (not 500) when the slug uniqueness race is lost', async () => {
+      // The route mints the slug with a read-then-insert, so two concurrent
+      // creates for the same name + date both clear the existence check and
+      // the loser's INSERT trips events_slug_unique. Reproduce it without a
+      // timer: slip the colliding row in the instant that existence SELECT is
+      // issued — the route then spends a bcrypt hash before its own INSERT.
+      const { slugify } = require('../../src/utils/slug');
+      const collidingSlug = `wedding-${slugify('Race Wedding')}-2026-09-02`;
+      let injected = null;
+      const onQuery = (q) => {
+        if (injected) return;
+        if (!/from\s+.?events.?\s+where\s+.?slug.?\s*=/i.test(q.sql)) return;
+        injected = insertEvent(db, adminId, { slug: collidingSlug, event_name: 'Race Wedding' });
+      };
+      db.on('query', onQuery);
+
+      try {
+        const res = await auth(request(app).post('/api/admin/events')).send({
+          event_type: 'wedding',
+          event_name: 'Race Wedding',
+          event_date: '2026-09-02',
+          customer_name: 'Client Person',
+          customer_email: 'client@example.com',
+          admin_email: 'admin@example.com',
+          require_password: false,
+          is_draft: true,
+        });
+
+        expect(injected).not.toBeNull(); // the race was actually injected
+        await injected;
+        expect(res.status).toBe(409);
+        expect(res.body.code).toBe('EVENT_SLUG_TAKEN');
+        expect(res.body.error).toMatch(/already exists/i);
+        // Only the injected row survives — no half-created duplicate.
+        expect(await db('events').where({ slug: collidingSlug })).toHaveLength(1);
+      } finally {
+        db.removeListener('query', onQuery);
+      }
+    });
+
     it('400s on an invalid event type', async () => {
       const res = await auth(request(app).post('/api/admin/events')).send({
         event_type: 'not-a-real-type',
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/adminEvents/crud.js b/backend/src/routes/adminEvents/crud.js
index bf1c818f..5fc011f6 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/adminEvents/crud.js
+++ b/backend/src/routes/adminEvents/crud.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ const { validatePasswordInContext, getBcryptRounds } = require('../../utils/pass
 const logger = require('../../utils/logger');
 const { sanitizeForLog, sanitizeValidationErrors } = require('../../utils/sanitizeForLog');
 const { errorResponse } = require('../../utils/routeHelpers');
+const { isUniqueViolation } = require('../../utils/dbErrors');
 const { buildShareLinkVariants } = require('../../services/shareLinkService');
 const { parseBooleanInput } = require('../../utils/parsers');
 const eventTypeService = require('../../services/eventTypeService');
@@ -31,6 +32,31 @@ const downloadZipService = require('../../services/downloadZipService');
 const { resolveEventFeedbackDefaults, applyFeedbackDefaults, KEYBIND_MODES } = require('../../services/feedbackDefaults');
 const { validateHeroImageAnchor, getEventFieldRequirements, readBooleanSetting, getDownloadProtectionDefaults, getBrandingDefaults, getCustomerNameFromPayload, getCustomerEmailFromPayload, getCustomerPhoneFromPayload, isPhoneFieldEnabled, mapEventForApi, hasCustomerContactColumns, deleteEventCascade, SLIDESHOW_TRANSITIONS, SLIDESHOW_COLORFILTERS } = require('./helpers');
 
+/**
+ * `events.slug` is UNIQUE, and both routes that mint one do a read-then-insert
+ * (`while (await db('events').where({ slug }).first())`) — a check two
+ * concurrent requests for the same name + date can both pass. The loser's
+ * INSERT then raises the unique violation, which surfaced as a raw 500 with
+ * "duplicate key value violates unique constraint events_slug_unique".
+ *
+ * Detect that one constraint specifically so the client gets an actionable
+ * 409 instead. Deliberately narrower than isUniqueViolation alone: the events
+ * table carries other unique columns (share_token), and a loose message test
+ * would misfire because knex prefixes the whole INSERT — which always mentions
+ * `slug` — to err.message.
+ */
+function isDuplicateSlugError(error) {
+  if (!isUniqueViolation(error)) return false;
+  // Postgres names the constraint; sqlite names the offending column.
+  if (error.constraint) return /slug/i.test(error.constraint);
+  return /unique constraint failed:.*\bevents\.slug\b/i.test(String(error.message || ''));
+}
+
+const DUPLICATE_SLUG_RESPONSE = {
+  error: 'An event with this name already exists. Change the event name or date and try again.',
+  code: 'EVENT_SLUG_TAKEN',
+};
+
 /**
  * Validate a gallery password the admin re-typed, against the SAME policy
  * event creation applies.
@@ -810,6 +836,10 @@ module.exports = (router) => {
         created_at: new Date().toISOString()
       });
     } catch (error) {
+      if (isDuplicateSlugError(error)) {
+        logger.warn('Event creation lost the slug race', { error: error.message });
+        return res.status(409).json(DUPLICATE_SLUG_RESPONSE);
+      }
       errorResponse(res, error, 500, 'Failed to create event');
     }
   });
@@ -1470,6 +1500,10 @@ module.exports = (router) => {
         is_draft: true,
       });
     } catch (error) {
+      if (isDuplicateSlugError(error)) {
+        logger.warn('Event duplication lost the slug race', { error: error.message });
+        return res.status(409).json(DUPLICATE_SLUG_RESPONSE);
+      }
       errorResponse(res, error, 500, 'Failed to duplicate event');
     }
   });