EXIT Festival Lost Government Funding After Supporting Protestors – Now, It May Leave the Country Entirely
Serbia's long-running EXIT Festival says that this summer's edition of the event might be its last in the country.
The electronic event reports that its government funding and cultural grants have been revoked due to the festival publicly aligning with student-led anti-corruption protests that happened after the Novi Sad railway station collapse in November 2024, a tragedy that killed 15 people. The festival also says its sponsors have withdrawn due to pressure by pro-government entities.
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'This is the hardest decision in our 25-year history but we believe that freedom has no price,' EXIT founder and director Dušan Kovačević says in a statement provided to media and posted to EXIT's social channels. '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.'
EXIT Festival is set to happen July 10-13 in Novi Sad, Serbia. The lineup features Tiësto, The Prodigy, Eric Prydz, Solomun, DJ Snake and many others.
The event has a long history with pro-democratic movements, starting in 2000 as a pro-student movement meant to fight for freedom in Serbia and the Balkan countries. Happening at the Petrovaradin Fortress in the city of Novi Sad, the festival has won myriad awards that have distinguished it as one of the top festivals in Europe.
'Through music, creativity, and activism, EXIT has connected generations and nations, rebuilt broken ties, and built bridges where others route to divide,' Kovačević's statement continues. 'We have brought numerous European festival awards to our country and region, along with hundreds of millions of Euros in tourism revenue and international recognition that global experts consider invaluable.
'However, ever since we publicly stood with the students of Serbia in their fight for a freer and more just society, we have been subjected to immense financial and political pressures aimed at stripping us of our fundamental rights to freedom of thought and expression. Despite being completely cut off from public funding at all levels of government, and with some sponsors forced to withdraw under state pressure, we refuse to be silenced. As a result, this year's anniversary edition will be the last to take place in a Serbia where freedom of speech is systematically suppressed.'
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