EXIT Festival set to take place this August despite COVID-19 concerns

In some of the first good news for the music industry in months, Serbia’s EXIT Festival, dubbed EXIT 2.0, is set to go ahead in late August. Usually taking place in July, the festival would see upwards of 200,000 people through its gates for the three day festival, but on request of Serbia’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, the festival has been pushed back a month, but thankfully not cancelled.

The announcement comes after Serbia, and many surrounding European nations, have seen a drastic improvement in their respective health situations. Brnabic said:

“We recommend to move the festival to August because we expect that the situation (with pandemic) in the whole of Europe will be totally under control by then.”

Patron safety is still set to be the number one priority of the Serbian government and EXIT organisers alike. Dušan Kovačević, the founder of EXIT, reassured:

“Health and safety of the audience and everyone involved at the festival is our top priority. We will work closely with Health officials in order to take all precautionary measures and make festival in August as safe as possible.”

The festival, which has won the Best European Major Festival award twice, is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. But whilst the festival will not take place in its usual 40 stage, 55,000 patron per day format, organisers still plan to make its 20th anniversary a special one, despite the reduced attendance size. Before the postponement, the lineup featured David Guetta, Tyga, DJ Snake, James Arthur, Fatboy Slim, among others, but currently it is not clear as to which acts will remain, and which acts will not be able to perform.

EXIT Festival going ahead shows there really is a light at the end of the tunnel for the music industry, and it might be closer than we think. With the rest of the world will watch on in jealousy, if you’re in Serbia or surrounding countries, this isn’t a festival you want to miss out on. Keep an eye on EXIT’s website for ticket announcements.

Image Credit: EXIT Festival / Benny Gasi