EXIT Festival Promises Magic This Year

Final preparations are underway at Novi Sad’s Petrovaradin Fortress as world-renowned artists and their fans flock to the city for EXIT.

Novi Sad’s Petrovaradin hosts EXIT. Photo: Flickr/Exit.

The quaint pedestrian streets of Novi Sad may be calm now, but the city is preparing itself for one of Eastern Europe’s largest music festivals.

In the coming weeks, tourists from around the world will descend on Serbia’s third largest city in hopes of finding magic and revelry. They will leave having seen a full lineup of today’s hottest artists. With headliners like Ellie Goulding, Wiz Khalifa, David Guetta, and The Prodigy, EXIT promises to satisfy even the pickiest, most experienced festivalgoer.

For those who can’t get enough of the action between July 7 and 10, the associated Sea Dance Festival will be celebrating its third edition at Jaz Beach, Montenegro, July 14 through 16. The smaller festival features electric, rave, and dance music with artists and DJs like Skrillex and Hurts announced on the official lineup.

First conceived in 2000 as a student demonstration for peace and democracy, EXIT has grown over the years to become, according to CNN, one of the best festivals in the world.

Every year, the festival attracts high praise and various awards from entities like the UK Festival Awards and the EU Festival Awards.

Much has changed since the festival’s debut. In its first year, EXIT was a 100-day gathering of mostly Serbian students on the western bank of the Danube protesting against late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic’s rule. Today’s EXIT, now located in Petrovaradin Fortress across the river, attracts a vast audience of foreigners for four days of pure festivities.

What has remained however is the organisers’ commitment to social change and civic values. Operating as a non-profit organization, the organisers attempt to realize the festival’s lofty vision of “humanity and Earth in harmony on all levels,” by encouraging positive social discussion at the festival and providing aid for Balkan youth through scholarship funds throughout the year.

The festival has drawn an estimated 2.7 million people to its gates since its founding and yearly attendance now surpasses 200,000 festivalgoers. Among its large foreign audience, hailing from over 60 countries around the world, Brits and Australians make up a large portion of the festival’s demographics.

Part of EXIT’s magic is its outstanding venue. Novi Sad’s famous Petrovaradin fortress, whose construction began in 1692, offers a unique backdrop to its many concert stages and its dance arena.

With concerts running late into the night, the fortress’ layout allows for stunning views of both Novi Sad’s skyline and the concert’s fireworks. Its natural acoustics are superb, and the many thick walls allow for the many stages to be close together without sound interference.

As always, EXIT’s main stage and dance arena are the biggest draw, with the stage hosting the festival’s headliners late into the night and the dance arena providing the best DJ talents all day long. The Fusion, Explosive, and No Sleep Novi Sad stages, among other new and returning themes, will run a variety of artists continuously throughout the four day event until the Sunday night finale.

Still developing its identity as an international festival, Sea Dance in Montenegro will take EXIT’s energy to the beach for three days after EXIT ends.

Each year, the festival continues to improve its lineup while focusing heavily on attracting some of the world’s hottest DJs.

Practical information

Dates: The entire festival runs from Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 10. Concerts and DJs perform constantly.

Tickets: Ticket prices vary depending on nationality and can be purchased on the festival’s website. The basic four-day pass for foreigners is selling for €102 with VIP passes as high as €258. Tickets can also be purchased on a daily basis, with the first three days costing €32 each and the last day €35.

Transportation from Belgrade: Belgrade’s bus station, located in Savamala, will have buses running to and from Novi Sad about every 15 minutes, after 5am each day during the festival. Tickets for the 80-minute ride can be bought at the bus station.

Lodgings: EXIT offers the opportunity to pitch a tent in the nearby campgrounds for the duration of the festival for €32. For the less adventurous, hotels and hostels within the town of Novi Sad offer additional comfort but are quick to sell out. Local home rental sites like Airbnb allow additional flexibility for individuals or groups to find a home away from the noise of the concerts.

This article was published in BIRN’s bi-weekly newspaper Belgrade Insight. Here is where to find a copy.