Born from the student protests back in 2000, EXIT quickly grew into one of the most popular and respected music festivals on the planet. After publicly supporting the current mass student protests in Serbia, EXIT Festival is facing fierce government pressure and complete withdrawal of over €1.5 million in public co-funding and government-controlled sponsorships. The festival is also encountering other serious political and security threats aimed at silencing its voice and financially draining it into shutdown.
To safeguard EXIT's independence and the values it fiercely upholds, the festival launched a global crowdfunding campaign. The goal is to ensure the immediate stability of the festival organization and protect over 100 permanent jobs. These are individuals who, despite unprecedented pressure and financial obstacles, stood united in support of the student movement, fully aware that taking a stand could lead to the shutdown of the organization. At Save.Exitfest.Org, anybody who believes that culture and art should never be controlled can donate directly to the organization or purchase future tickets and digital assets to help secure EXIT’s future.
“The recent EXIT Festival is of immeasurable importance - a historical moment when one music festival boldly stood up against fierce governmental pressure aimed at silencing our freedom of speech and suppressing our support for Serbia's brave students. We stood stronger than any attempt at state repression and demonstrated that unity, solidarity and love still triumphs over fear, and that art cannot be silenced.” said Dušan Kovačević, the founder of the EXIT Festival group. He added: “Through this crowdfunding campaign, we are standing up for the independence of an entire organization and the people behind it. We strongly believe this is a moment for the music industry to unite, protect one of its own, and demonstrate that collectively it is stronger than any government in the world. By defending independence and freedom for EXIT, we defend the freedom of all artists, music professionals, and organizations in the music industry who might face similar pressures anywhere in the world. Because the fight for freedom for one is the fight for freedom for all.”
EXIT Festival was born from a dream of freedom 25 years ago, sparked by young people who refused to stay silent in the face of Balkan wars and political oppression. Since then, it has grown into one of the world’s largest music festivals, twice winning the Best Major Festival at the European Festival Awards (EFA) and currently holding the EFA’s prestigious Take a Stand Award, presented annually to festivals that courageously advocate for human rights, social justice, and positive change in society.
