EXIT Festival forced to close to due political strife

Post date: 12 June 2025

Reading time 2 minutes

Written by Chris Vuoncino

12 June 2025

2 minutes · By Chris Vuoncino

Founded in 2000 by Dušan Kovačević, the EXIT Festival was established as a student movement for peace, uniting youth throughout the Balkans. Often bringing 70,000 fans to the region, which translates to hundreds of millions of Euros in tourism revenue, it is set to deliver the 2025 edition of the event on July 10th through the 13th. Sadly, it seems recent demonstrations against the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, have found the event at odds with his leadership and the government funding cut.

Image Credit: EXIT Festival / Marko Ristic

Ever since its inception in 2000, the EXIT Festival has served as a staple of the Serbian music scene. It appears that the upcoming edition will be the last event as the nation’s President has rebuked the staff’s stance against his administration.

The tension in the country came after 15 people were killed following a roof collapse at a train station in Novi Sad, the same city that hosts the EXIT Festival. The tragic event has seen mass protests as many blame corruption linked to President Aleksandar Vucic as the cause of the collapse. In retaliation for the opposition, government grants have been withdrawn for the event, and sponsors have pulled out, seemingly under pressure from the government. In a statement, Kovačević said, “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.”

Get tickets now for what appears to be the final EXIT Festival next month.