After announcing plans to leave Serbia amid political and financial pressures, EXIT says it will return to the Petrovaradin Fortress next summer for a special edition celebrating freedom, unity and love.
EXIT Festival, one of Serbia’s best-known international music events, has announced its return to Novi Sad in July 2027, bringing an emotional message to fans after a year of uncertainty about the festival’s future in Serbia.
In a post on Instagram, the festival declared: “EXIT IS COMING HOME!” The announcement follows the student movement’s historic victory, according to the festival’s statement.
“We always said that EXIT would return when freedom returned to our country,” the organizers wrote, crediting Serbian students with the courage and perseverance that helped bring the moment about.
The organizers said they had initially planned a comeback in 2028, explaining that an event on the scale they envision would require at least 18 months of preparation. However, they said the volume of messages, emails, comments and media attention from supporters convinced them to return a year earlier.
“Next July we will gather at the Fortress once again to celebrate FREEDOM, UNITY AND LOVE together, with a special EXIT experience that we will reveal soon!” the announcement stated.
Why EXIT Left Serbia
Last year, EXIT announced that it would no longer hold its festival in Serbia, citing political, security and financial pressures following its public support for the student movement.
The festival had become a prominent platform for expressing solidarity with students, who organized protests calling for accountability and political change.
Dušan Kovačević, EXIT’s founder and CEO, said the return was connected to the determination of students and supporters who continued their efforts despite pressure.
Kovačević recalled that, during the previous summer, the festival displayed banners reading “STUDENTS ARE WINNING” and “SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT THE FORTRESS” alongside students at Petrovaradin Fortress.
At the time, he said, it was uncertain whether circumstances would change quickly enough for the promise of a return the following year to become reality.
He also referred to pressure on the festival over its support for the students, including the detention of his brother, which he described as another attempt to discourage that support.
“Today, EXIT is coming home, and the students have shown that there is no force stronger than a people determined to live in freedom!” Kovačević said.
A Festival That Stood With the Students
EXIT was among the major music festivals that openly supported the student protests. Its most recent Serbian edition featured numerous local artists who, according to the organizers, had faced blacklisting after expressing support for the students.
Italian singer Gala, whose hit Freed from Desire became an anthem associated with the protests, also opened the festival’s Main Stage alongside students.
The festival’s support for the movement placed it at the intersection of music, youth activism and Serbia’s wider political debate.
From the Petrovaradin Fortress to the World
During the past year, EXIT took its music and production to international audiences, including an event staged against the backdrop of Egypt’s Great Pyramids of Giza, which the organizers described as the first full-scale festival of its kind at the historic site.
A three-time winner of the Best Major Festival award, EXIT built its international reputation through large-scale performances and its distinctive setting at Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad.
Now, organizers say the festival is preparing to return to the place where it began.
Details about the special July 2027 edition, including the dates, lineup and ticket information, are expected to be announced later.
For fans in Serbia and across the international EXIT community, the message is clear: after a year of uncertainty, the festival is planning a return home.
