EXIT Festival announces finale edition in Serbia

Founded in 2000 as a student movement advocating for peace and democracy in the Balkans, EXIT has grown into an internationally acclaimed festival, recognized for its cultural impact, activism, and contributions to Serbia’s tourism industry.

In a statement released by festival organizers, EXIT’s founder and director, Dusan Kovacevic, said that mounting pressure following the festival’s public support of student-led pro-democracy protests has led to a loss of public funding and withdrawal of key sponsorships under what they described as “state pressure.”

“Despite being completely cut off from public funding at all levels of government, and with some sponsors forced to withdraw, we refuse to be silenced,” Kovacevic said. “This is the hardest decision in our 25-year history, but we believe that freedom has no price.”

Organizers say the 2025 edition, set to run from July 10 to 13 at Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, will serve as a symbolic final celebration of the festival’s legacy in its home country. They emphasized that EXIT will continue its mission globally, while drawing attention to what they describe as a shrinking space for freedom of expression in Serbia.

EXIT has won numerous European festival awards and attracted hundreds of thousands of international visitors over the years, generating significant cultural and economic impact for the region.

The statement concludes with a call for solidarity among cultural institutions and artists worldwide, urging them to “stand with us in this fight” for freedom of expression.

Whether this truly marks the end of EXIT in Serbia remains uncertain. But organizers have pledged to make the 25th edition an unforgettable celebration — “a festival remembered not for its end, but for its unity. For love. For freedom.”