EXIT Festival Leaves Serbia Citing “Undemocratic Pressures”

Music festival EXIT has announced this year’s event will be its last in Serbia.

The backstory:

• EXIT Festival was founded in Serbia in 2000 “as a student movement for peace and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans.”

• It has grown into one of the world’s most prominent music festivals, with previous headliners including The Prodigy, Wu-Tang Clan, Arctic Monkeys, Korn, The Arcade Fire, The Killers and more.

• Its final edition in Serbia will be from July 10-July 13 in the city of Novi Sad.

The issue:

• Government funding for the event has been cut, with organizers claiming some sponsors have been forced to withdraw due to “state pressure.”

• As per the organizers’ statement, these actions are a result of the festival’s support for the “students of Serbia in their fight for a freer and more just society.”

What they said:

• Dušan Kovačević, founder and director of the EXIT Festival Group: “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.”