NOVI SAD, Serbia (CelebrityAccess) — Organizers of the Exit Festival announced that 2025 will be the final edition of the event to take place in Serbia which it has called home since its founding 25 years ago.
According to organizers, the festival’s alignment with students protesting government corruption in 2024, following the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at a rail station in Novi Sad in 2024, has led to a state-backed pressure campaign against the festival.
The impacts of that alleged campaign include the removal of all government funding, including cultural grants, due to its stance. Additionally, the festival says sponsors have also been pressured to back away from their support of the event.
“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,” said Founder and Director Dušan Kovačević .
A spokesperson for the government of Serbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
