EXIT Festival | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Exit is one of the largest music festivals in Europe, held in Novi Sad. Every July, over 40 stages spread throughout Petrovaradin Fortress host performances by over 1000 artists. The original mission of the festival was the fight for freedom, democracy, and equality among people in the Balkans. Over time, this event has gained a commercial character, but it still manages to maintain the spirit it had from the very beginning.

The zeroth edition of Exit took place during the summer of 2000 as a student social movement. Between the building of Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad and the left bank of the Danube, through a series of concerts, panel discussions, theater plays, and film screenings, the organizers tried to engage the youth in the political situation in the country. The following year, the social changes brought by the general elections were celebrated. The festival moved to Petrovaradin Fortress, where every subsequent edition has been held.

Exit '03 established a four-day format and eliminated all non-musical programs. With this move, the organizers clearly defined the direction for the future and focused their program exclusively on music lovers from the region. In the following years, the festival received positive reviews from international media, which, along with low ticket prices, attracted an increasing number of foreign guests. Little by little, Exit adapted to the demands of visitors from Western Europe. As proof of its successful work, Exit received the award for the Best European Music Festival at the "UK Festival Awards" ceremony in London in 2007.

In the years that followed, the popularity of the festival continued to grow, and international recognition kept pouring in. Exit became one of the most significant global summer music events. With its reputation, this event also influences the image of Serbia worldwide and puts it on the map of the most interesting European destinations.

Today, the Exit team organizes various music events in the region, which, together with the grand spectacle at Petrovaradin, form the so-called Exit adventure. When the number of visitors to all events is combined, it amounts to several hundred thousand, with over 400,000 attendees in 2015. Speaking of record-breaking daily attendance, around 56,000 people stormed Petrovaradin Fortress in one night in 2019. The Main Stage can accommodate the most visitors (35,000), followed by the Dance Arena, which can hold 25,000 fans of electronic music.

Petrovaradin has had the opportunity to host numerous world music stars. Some of them include Massive Attack, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Clan, Korn, Faith No More, Kraftwerk, George Clinton, N.E.R.D., and Prodigy, who formed a special connection with the local audience and returned to the main stage of Exit multiple times.

From its rebellious beginnings in 2000, Exit has come a long way to become one of the world's largest festivals and one of the most recognizable Serbian brands. It was initially a symbol of a generation but gradually evolved into an essential stop in the summer adventures of young people from all over the world. You can find out more about the upcoming festival on the official website.