Exit Festival to leave Serbia due to political climate: “Freedom has no price”
Exit Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Europe, has announced plans to leave Serbia due to the political climate.
The festival has been running for 25 years and is attended by over 200,000 people each year. This summer, Exit will take place between July 10th and July 13th at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, which has now been confirmed as its final iteration in Serbia.
Acts confirmed to perform at the four-day event include Tiesto, Hurts, the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter, Loreen, The Prodigy, The Boomtown Rats, Nina Kraviz, DJ Snake and Heavy Lungs.
Last November, the newly renovated concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 16 people. Student protests later broke out, which are still happening more than six months later, due to the government’s handling of the situation and allegations of corruption. Exit Festival supported the protests, and as a result, the government has cut its funding.
The festival said of its decision to leave Serbia: “Through music, creativity, and activism, Exit has connected generations and nations, rebuilt broken ties, and built bridges where others sought to divide. We have brought numerous European festival awards to our country and region, along with hundreds of millions of euros in tourism revenue and international recognition that global experts consider invaluable.”
They continued: “However, ever since we publicly stood with the students of Serbia in their fight for a freer and more just society, we have been subjected to immense financial and political pressures aimed at stripping us of our fundamental rights to freedom of thought and expression. Despite being completely cut off from public funding at all levels of government, and with some sponsors forced to withdraw under state pressure, we refuse to be silenced.”
Meanwhile, Exit Festival founder and director Dušan Kovačević said in a statement: “This is the hardest decision in our 25-year history, but we believe that freedom has no price.”
He continued: “With this act we are defending not only Exit but the fundamental right to free expression for all cultural actors around the world.”
Exit Festival has not yet revealed where the 2026 edition of the event will be held.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.