‘For Freedom!’: EXIT Festival Announces Final Edition In Serbia Amidst Undemocratic Pressures

Back in March, Pollstar first reported that EXIT Festival, Serbia’s main event, and one of the biggest festivals in Europe, was considering leaving Serbia, its home for the past 25 years, after being faced with political backlash for supporting the current student protests.

Now, that possibility has become a reality: the 2025 edition of EXIT, which marks its 25th anniversary, July 10-13, will mark its last in Serbia, a country where “freedom of speech is systematically suppressed” at the moment, according to the festival’s organizers.

The Last Dance At The Fortress? Serbia’s EXIT Festival Considers Exile After Facing Government Pressure For Supporting Student Protests

EXIT has been facing political backlash ever since siding with the current massive student protests that have taken hold of the entire country. The students are protesting political corruption, demanding a full investigation into a roof collapse at Novi Sad train station in November, which killed 15. They also demand that Serbia’s institutions start doing what they were elected to do.

Siding with the students was a natural move for EXIT’s organizers, who launched the festival as part of a student protest movement 25 years ago, advocating peace and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans, and playing its part in bringing down the communist regime that used to have the East of Europe in its grip.

The current Serbian government around president Aleksandar Vučić has been retaliating against anybody showing solidarity with the students, which also includes actors, TV hosts, NGOs, and others.

The political measures taken against EXIT include the complete cutting of its public funding. The government has also forced some of the events long-time sponsors to cut their ties with EXIT, according to the festival’s latest Instagram post.

Over the years, EXIT has grown into a massive cultural and commercial operation, generating a lot of income for local businesses in and around Novi Sad, bringing in many tourists each year.

There’s nothing coming out of Novi Sad that comes close in terms of marketing the city in particular, and Serbia in general. Not even the country capital of Belgrade has an event with the international clout and appeal of EXIT. Since its launch, it has contributed some $300 million to the local economy.

In light of this, the government’s attitude towards the festival, as well as its organizers, is baffling, as it’s driving away a cultural and economic force of nature that’s done more for the unity and well-being of the people of Novi Sad than any politician in history.

‘Once Financials Guide The Festival, You Can’t Nurture Its Spirit & Soul’: Q’s With EXIT’s Dušan Kovačević

The full promoters’ statement reads:

“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.

“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.

“As a result, this year’s anniversary edition will be the last to take place in a Serbia where freedom of speech is systematically suppressed.”

Dušan Kovačević, founder and director of the EXIT festival group, said, “This is the hardest decision in our 25-year history, but we believe that freedom has no price. With this act, we are defending not only EXIT, but the fundamental right to free expression for all cultural actors around the world. We invite them to stand with us in this fight.”

The felt like it owed the EXIT audience “one last dance at the Petrovaradin Fortress” in Novi Sad, “that is why our entire team is more determined than ever to make this year’s edition the most emotional and unforgettable yet.”

EXIT 2025 will take place from July 10–13 in Novi Sad, when, alongside the protesting students, it will mark 25 years of fighting for a better world. “EXIT is not just a festival — EXIT is all of us who believe we can make a change. And just as we ignited the spark of change together a quarter of a century ago, today we once again defend the right to live freely.

“If this truly is the last EXIT at the Fortress, let it be unforgettable. Let it be our strongest yet — a festival remembered not for its end, but for its unity. For love. For freedom,” the statement concludes.

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