NOVI SAD, Serbia (CelebrityAccess) — Organizers of the Exit Festival, one of Central Europe’s largest live music events, have announced the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to help replace more than €1.5 million in public co-funding and government-controlled sponsorships.
Festival organizers claim the funding was withdrawn in retaliation for the festival’s support of a student movement protesting alleged government corruption, exposed in the 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024.
“The recent EXIT Festival is of immeasurable importance — a historic moment when one music festival boldly stood up against fierce governmental pressure aimed at silencing our freedom of speech and suppressing our support for Serbia’s brave students. We stood stronger than any attempt at state repression and demonstrated that unity, solidarity, and love still triumph over fear — and that art cannot be silenced,” said Dušan Kovačević, founder of the EXIT Festival group.
He added: “Through this crowdfunding campaign, we are standing up for the independence of an entire organization and the people behind it. We strongly believe this is a moment for the music industry to unite, protect one of its own, and demonstrate that collectively it is stronger than any government in the world. By defending independence and freedom for EXIT, we defend the freedom of all artists, music professionals, and organizations in the music industry who might face similar pressures anywhere in the world. Because the fight for freedom for one is the fight for freedom for all.”
The Exit Festival is no stranger to protest movements, having launched in 2000 as part of a campaign to oust the Milošević regime. The inaugural edition lasted nearly 100 days, ending just before the general elections, under the banner “Exit out of 10 years of madness.”
Along with the fundraising campaign, EXIT Festival organizers have indicated that 2025 will likely be the final year for the event in Serbia. They are exploring potential new locations for an Exit in Exile edition in 2026.
