EXIT Festival Announces Final Edition in Serbia Due to Undemocratic Pressures

Europe’s multi-award-winning EXIT Festival in Serbia has sadly announced that this summer’s edition will be its final one in the country. Born in 2000 as a grassroots student movement for peace and unity among the reunited youth across the Balkans, EXIT has become a global emblem of unity, tolerance, creativity, and youth empowerment, and a catalyst for tourism in Serbia.

Since EXIT publicly aligned with Serbia’s student-led anti-corruption protests, following the tragic Novi Sad station collapse in November 2024 that claimed 15 lives, state-backed pressure has ramped up. EXIT has since been stripped of all government funding, including cultural grants, due to its stance. Sponsors have also been forced to withdraw, pressured by pro-government actors. 

Founder and Director Dušan Kovačević says 

“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” 

While we know we are welcomed with open arms around the world, we owe our audience one last dance at the Petrovaradin Fortress. 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 together with students we will mark 25 years of fighting for the 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.”