Exit Festival Returns to Novi Sad Fortress in July 2027
The festival announced it is coming back to Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad next July, even though its full return had been scheduled for 2028.
Banners reading “STUDENTS WIN” and “NEXT YEAR AT THE FORTRESS” were hung in July, in the days when Exit traditionally took place, and the organizers now say they did not know whether those words would come true fast enough. They did: the festival is returning next July to Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad.
The news was posted on October 29, 2026 on the festival’s official social media accounts, including Instagram. The organizers wrote:
“After three days of celebrating this historic victory, we are overjoyed to confirm: Exit is coming home”
The exact dates, lineup and performers have not been announced. The festival says only that next July will bring a “special Exit experience” and that details will follow soon.
Why is Exit coming back a year early?
The full return had been scheduled for 2028, because the organizers calculated that a festival of the scale they have in mind needs at least 18 months of preparation. The announcement itself acknowledges this: “We originally planned to return in 2028,” and then adds: “But you showered us with so much love”.
By their own account, the decision was sped up by countless emails, messages and comments from the public, as well as media attention. In their words, it made one thing clear: “you can’t wait that long, and neither can we”. The post distinguishes between the “big comeback” planned for 2028 and the July that is coming, but does not say what that July will look like in size or format.
What does the festival’s founder say?
Dusan Kovacevic, the festival’s founder and director, said of those banners:
“When in July, in the days when EXIT was traditionally supposed to take place, we hung the banners ‘STUDENTS WIN’ and ‘NEXT YEAR AT THE FORTRESS’ together with the students at the Fortress, we believed with all our hearts that freedom was coming. But none of us knew whether it would arrive fast enough for those words to become reality as early as next year”
He then spoke about the pressure that came before:
“Elections had not been called at the time, the shutdown of the last independent media outlets was being announced, and my own brother was still in detention, which was yet another form of pressure on me and EXIT to stop supporting the students. But instead of breaking us, all that pressure only made us more determined to give everything we have in this decisive fight for our country.”
How did Exit leave Serbia?
The festival was held in Novi Sad for 25 years. After the 2025 edition it suspended operations in Serbia, citing political, security and financial pressure. The organizers had earlier said that, because of its support for the students, the event was “essentially banned” in the country.
This year Exit was therefore held at several locations, from Montenegro and Malta to Egypt, where a festival was organized by the pyramids in Giza. Exit has been named best European festival three times and, according to its own claims, has brought more than 300 million euros to the Serbian economy.
The official announcement contains no statement from the City of Novi Sad.
