EXIT optimistic for ’23 after record-breaking year
After a record breaking year with 26 events in 10 countries, EXIT is optimistically walking towards 2023!
After EXIT gave new life to the festival industry in 2021 by being the first major event to happen since the beginning of the pandemic, it was fairly optimistic to hope for a record-breaking year in 2022. However, the year turned out to be even bigger for the Serbian landmark festival.
With eight festivals, a virtual reality showcase at Expo Dubai, partnership with one of the largest metaverse conferences in Europe, 18 various music events, and sold-out NFT collections with world famous superstars, EXIT single handedly became one of the largest independently owned festival organisations in the world.
EXIT events in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, UAE, Netherlands, Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Slovenia were visited by around half a million people, making it the largest number in the festival’s history. EXIT also grew its trophy cabinet by two international and regional accolades. Shortlists for three European Festival Awards, already won by Exit’s festivals four times in the past, also arrived to close off the year.
EXIT, Sea Dance, Sea Star, Ada Divine Awakening, two editions of No Sleep festival, WOMBA and Get Excited marked a true comeback of the event industry in Balkans with headliners such as Calvin Harris, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Iggy Azalea, Amelie Lens, ARTBAT, Boris Brejcha, Maceo Plex, Nina Kraviz, Honey Dijon, Monolink, Satori and Sepultura, just to name a few.
“Innovation in today’s world is the main parameter for success of any organisation”
Exit’s year was also marked by its entry into the Metaverse and the creation of one of the first NFT collections in the festival world, as well as NFT festival tickets. Well known for being creative and innovative, this venture was fortunate to say the least, as all collections were sold out, and EXIT together with NFT-Tix won Best Innovation at UK Festival Awards. Moreover, EXIT delivered a premium VR festival experience, first presented at EXPO 2020 Dubai, and later in the EXITVERSE zone on EXIT and Sea Dance festivals.
“Innovation in today’s world is the main parameter for success of any organisation. We are proud to continuously expand the boundaries of the festival experience and provide fans with not only top-class entertainment, but also the opportunity for education and personal growth of each individual,” says the founder and CEO of the festival, Dusan Kovacevic.
EXIT was born out of social activism and would not exist without its Foundation work which is as important as the festival itself. After a devastating effect the pandemic had on the world, EXIT Foundation’s imperative in 2022 was to support mental health both of the audience and young people in general, as well as its employees with two mental health specialists being employed by the organisation.
“In 2023, we will continue to prioritise improving the mental health of young people as one of the main challenges of today, and we are also planning the return of our environmental project Life Stream, which we launched in 2020 with the United Nations World Food Program, the largest humanitarian organisation in the world,” adds Kovacevic.
With a strong attitude, and an inventive spirit the festival’s organisation has, it is more than ready to walk into another promising year. Headliners such as The Prodigy, Skrillex, Viagra boys, Camelphat and Keinemusik are already announced for EXIT 2023 with many more to come.
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Bilbao, Exit, Primavera and more add to 2023 lineups
Next year’s European festival season is taking shape, with more line-up announcements from Bilbao BBK Live, Exit festival, Super Bock Super Rock and Primavera Sound Porto.
Spain’s Bilbao BBK Live is scheduled to return to Kobetamendi between 6 and 8 July 2023 for a 16th edition, headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine and The Chemical Brothers.
Phoenix, Fever Ray, Duki, M83, IDLES, Dry Cleaning, The Blaze, Jamie xx, Röyksopp and The Murder Capital are also on the bill.
Bilbao BBK Live promoter The Last Tour is also behind Cala Mijas, Meo Kalorama, Azkena Rock Festival and BIME Live.
In neighbouring Portugal, the promoters of Primavera Sound Porto announced what they describe as “the best lineup in its history” for the festival’s 10th anniversary.
Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Rosalia, Pet Shop Boys, FKA twigs, Halsey, The Mars Volta, St. Vincent, Le Tigre and My Morning Jacket top the poster.
the promoters of Primavera Sound Porto announced what they describe as “the best lineup in its history”
They are joined by Isabella Lovestory, The Comet Is Coming, Bad Religion, Baby Keem, Julia Holter, Núria Graham, Sparks, Darkside, NxWorries, Fred again.., Pusha T, Yard Act, and many more.
The festival will take place at Parque Cidade between 7–10 June 2023, with tickets starting from €170.
Elsewhere in the country, Super Bock Super Rock will return to Meco, Lisbon, in July 2023, after three years away.
The 1975, Jame Murphy, Franz Ferdinand, Black Country, New Road, Sampha The Great and L’Impératice will help ring in the 27th edition, slated for 14–16 July at Meco Beach, Sesimbra.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s Exit festival will return to the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia, between 6–9 July 2023, with acts including The Prodigy, Skrillex, Hot Since 82, Camelphat and more.
As reported last week, the Prodigy’s headline set will feature a special laser projection of their late frontman Keith Flint.
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Prodigy’s Exit set to feature projection of Keith Flint
The Prodigy’s headline set at Exit festival 2023 will feature a special laser projection of their late frontman Keith Flint.
The English electronic dance act returned to the live stage earlier this year with a tour across the UK, including a trio of gigs at London’s O2 Academy Brixton.
The tour came after frontman Keith Flint, aged 49, was found dead at his home in Essex on 4 March, 2019.
“Many thought, including the band itself, that The Prodigy would stop performing after the tragedy”
The Serbian festival will honour the late frontman with a special laser projection, displayed during the band’s headline set.
“Many thought, including the band itself, that The Prodigy would stop performing after the tragedy, but we knew this wouldn’t be the case,” says EXIT festival’s founder Dušan Kovačević.
“The comeback concerts in London showed that the fire burns stronger in them than ever, and the iconic band’s reunion with its favourite EXIT audience, will surely be the most emotional yet,” he continued.
Exit will return to the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad between 6–9 July 2023, with acts including Skrillex, Hot Since 82, Camelphat and more.
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Exit Festival boss reflects on landmark year
Exit festival founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević has looked back on another landmark year for the event and opened up on his plans for the future in a new interview with IQ.
Last year’s 20th anniversary Exit was billed as the first major festival in Europe to take place since the pandemic. And for its 2022 edition, held from 7-11 July, the Serbian institution again made history by welcoming its first homegrown headliner – Belgrade-born singer-songwriter Konstrakta.
“This was a significant moment,” Kovačević tells IQ. “Konstrakta is an absolute phenomenon, using an artistic approach to connect with new generations on various trending lists, overtaking trappers and artists in other popular genres. This makes her highly unique, and we wanted to honour that.
“We are proud not only because she is a local performer but also because she is a female artist. She caused complete enthusiasm and hysteria in the region, Europe, and beyond.”
“Last year was incredibly significant for the festival’s history because we showed that we would not live in a world without public gatherings”
Fans from more than 100 countries attended the 17th century Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad to witness headliners including Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Calvin Harris, alongside acts such as Iggy Azalea, Afrojack, Sepultura, Jax Jones, Disciples and Joel Corry.
“The event went great; as expected, the fortress was packed every night with around 50,000 people daily,” says Kovačević.
“Last year was incredibly significant for the festival’s history because we showed that we would not live in a world without public gatherings. We organised a safe event and became the first major festival to take place since the beginning of the pandemic.
“I thought that it would take a long time to surpass that incredible catharsis and explosion of positive energy when tens of thousands of us finally got together again after two years. However, this year something magical happened, and the festival’s energy surpassed even that of the previous year.”
“This year has brought a series of economic challenges, which is another blow we’ve had to suffer after everything we’ve been through in recent years”
Kovačević singles out the closing night’s festivities in the Dance Arena, which was extended for an hour beyond its allotted time, as “pure magic”.
“People didn’t want to leave when the [last act] left the stage, as the energy was still at a maximum,” he says. “I asked Human Rias, who was with us on stage and also opened the Dance Arena [on the first night], to keep the party going. So the closing of the Dance Arena lasted an hour longer this year.”
While highlighting the biggest hurdles as “increasing costs and all the uncertainties that accompany the current global crisis”, Kovačević sounds an upbeat note on the recovery of the European festival market in general.
“Due to the current crisis in Ukraine and general inflation, this year has brought a series of economic challenges, which is another blow we’ve had to suffer after everything we’ve been through in recent years,” he reflects. “But the pandemic also had its positive side, showing that going to festivals is not only a form of entertainment but also a way of life without which new generations cannot imagine growing up.
“Young people build their identities through festivals and gatherings. Considering the influence of social media, which should be connecting us, but is doing the opposite, festivals truly connect us and have become one of the most important forms of live experiences and socialisation.”
“We will continue to pay special attention to mental health projects”
He continues: “I found inspiration in this year’s mental health messages displayed all over the Petrovaradin fortress and on the screens at the biggest stages. I want our organisation to give this topic even more room next year. We have proven once again that when we are together and united, we can do anything, and nothing can stop our positive intentions.”
Indeed, Kovačević’s thoughts have already raced ahead to 2023, when Exit is slated to return from 6-9 July.
“As every year, we are planning numerous improvements for next year, so we can definitely expect more novelties in areas such as the production level of the Exit Festival, which has been raised to a new level this year with the highest-quality sound systems and over 40 stages and zones,” he says.
“The mental health initiative has been a big part of the festival for years and I can say that we will continue to pay special attention to mental health projects. The promotion of World and Consciousness Music through all musical genres will be a big part of our future and many other things which I am not able to speak of yet.”
Founded as a student movement in the fight for democracy and freedom in Serbia and the region, Exit was first held in 2000 on several stages set up in the University Park in Novi Sad. Moving to the Petrovaradin Fortress the following year, it has gone on to host the likes of Massive Attack, Cypress Hill, The White Stripes, Carl Cox, Wu-Tang Clan, Sex Pistols, Arctic Monkeys, Placebo, Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Arcade Fire, M. I. A, Jamiroquai, Guns N’ Roses, Duran Duran, Faithless, Motörhead, Jason Derulo, David Guetta, Migos and The Cure.
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European live trade bodies stand up for Ukraine
Live event organisations across Europe are taking a stand in condemnation of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
Representatives from the Alliance of Swiss Organisers’ Associations, the German Interest Group Event Management and the Austrian Society for Theatre Technology have linked up to launch the Light for Peace campaign.
From 8pm on Thursday (3 March), venues, company headquarters and other locations will shine in the rainbow colours of peace for two hours, with videos and photos to be shared on social media under the hashtag #lightforpeace2022.
“The network from Switzerland, Germany and Austria not only represents the interests of promoting quality, safety and cooperation in the event industry. As international, diverse, heterogeneous and open-minded as the self-image of the events industry is in its various areas, we act in many of our endeavours with the clear idea of peace in mind,” reads a joint statement from the associations.
“It is a privilege to be able to take a stand and we want to use this to express our solidarity. Solidarity with the people who are victims of political, physical and psychological violence worldwide and with all those who courageously take to the streets against aggressors.”
“The fear and pain experienced by the people of Ukraine is familiar and we mourn for the innocent victims on all sides”
Serbia’s Exit festival has also released an emotive statement across its social media channels.
“You have probably seen this photo of a man draped in Ukrainian flag embracing a woman wearing Russian flag at a concert in Poland,” it says. “This image perfectly describes what Exit has been fighting for since the beginning. It shows the essence of how we should look at each other, not as members of a particular race, nation, religion, sexual, political, or any other orientation, but as human beings, with all of our imperfections, fears, hopes, and dreams.
“Since we also found ourselves bombed back in 1999 by some of the biggest countries in the world, the fear and pain experienced by the people of Ukraine is familiar, and we mourn for the innocent victims on all sides. We also remember and mourn all the victims of the wars fought in ex-Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Yemen and all other bloodsheds worldwide, truly believing that there is no such thing as justified war.
“Just as the hippie movement and the forerunner of modern music festivals, Woodstock, emerged as a reaction to the Vietnam War, Exit was created as part of a movement for freedom and peace in the Balkans. We have vowed to be the generation to stop the bloody cycle of war in the region. That is one of the primary social missions of our festivals in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and other countries.
“Now is the time for the next step – for like-minded people and organisations around the world to unite and forge new relationships among people, bringing true world peace. That is why this new movement must overshadow all countries and governments worldwide. It must outshine all previous structures and lead us to a New Era dreamed of by many generations before.”
Meanwhile, in Australia, the Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA) has pulled out its music recordings from the Russian Federation and challenged the rest of the Australian music industry to do the same.
“The ARCA crews are family,” says ARCA co-founder Ian Peel. “We celebrate our freedoms and what we’ve fought hard to achieve. Although we in no way know how much real suffering is going on in the Ukraine, we feel for its people and want to make a stand. We roadies don’t cop abuse; we don’t tolerate it on a personal, local or national level.”
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Serbia’s Exit festival launches NFT series
Hot on the heels of Coachella joining the non-fungible token revolution, Serbia’s Exit Festival has signalled its entrance into the metaverse with its own line of NFTs.
Exit’s first NFT collection is being created in collaboration with “major music stars of today” and trading platform SolSea on the Solana blockchain. The NFTs will be available in the SolSea virtual store in a few weeks.
Most of the tokens will be made for use in the “multiverse” – an “exciting and innovative 3D web reality”, which the festival is involved in the development of.
“In cooperation with the world’s leading IT companies, we are developing a community that will place artists and creatives at the epicentre of events through various platforms,” it says in a statement. “This will give fans and those about to become fans unprecedented experiences and ways to interact and communicate.
“The festival’s NFT collection will be multidimensional, as it will feature a specially created live experience”
“In line with Exit’s philosophy that live experiences are irreplaceable, the festival’s NFT collection will be multidimensional, as it will feature a specially created live experience in addition to cutting-edge digital art. This will bring with it many exciting surprises relating to the EXIT festival and its music stars, which few have had the opportunity to experience so far.”
Exit is also offering an exclusive limited NFT series as a gift to those who are the first to sign up to its new Discord digital community, launched today, which you can join here.
“These will be distributed only on this occasion and provide owners with exclusive content and other benefits, as well as a special status within Exit’s digital community,” it adds.
Last year’s 20th anniversary edition of Exit, held in a 17th-century fortress in Novi Sad, attracted 42,000 festival-goers from more than 70 countries on the opening day alone. It returns from 7-10 July with artists such as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
Earlier this week, Coachella announced it was auctioning off 10 lifetime passes to the event as part of an NFT series. The ‘Coachella Keys’ collection grants admission to the 125,000-capacity festival in Indio, California US every year, along with other benefits. The auction begins on Friday, 4 February at 10am Pacific time (7pm CET) and will last for one week.
New York’s Governor’s Ball festival also offered NFTs through a partnership with Coinbase for its 10th anniversary edition in 2021
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Left no trace: No increase in infections after Exit 2021
Exit Festival 2021, which took place in Novi Sad, Serbia, from 8 to 11 July, did not lead to a significant increase in new cases of Covid-19 at either a local or national level, despite attracting more than 40,000 people a day, organisers have confirmed.
Exit – which monitored infections for two weeks after the festival as part of a safety protocol, Safe Events Serbia, under which it went ahead (which, among other things, limited entry to those who were vaccinated against Covid-19, had antibodies, or presented a negative test) – found that in the 14–15 days after the event, infections did not increase significantly in the Vojvodina region or Serbia as a whole.
There were just 12 new coronavirus cases in Novi Sad connected to Exit Festival after seven days, despite the estimated 20,000 foreigners from 70 countries who entered Serbia to attend the event, organisers tell IQ.
In fact, the vast majority of new cases in the city were connected to weddings, and not to Exit Festival, which was not a place of significant infection, according to Vladimir Petrovic, director of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina.
“In the period from 12 to 18 July, 12 cases were registered in Novi Sad that could be traced back to Exit Festival, ten among visitors, and two with family members of visitors,” Dr Petrovic told Euronews Serbia on 20 July. “All cases were accompanied by a mild clinical picture and were treated at home.”
The vast majority of new cases in the city were connected to weddings, and not to Exit Festival
“In the last week, a total of 84 cases have been registered in Novi Sad, and most of them, after epidemiological investigations, were found to have attended weddings organised across the country,” he added.
David Guetta, Sabaton, Charlotte de Witte, Nina Kraviz, Paul Kalkbrenner and Solomun were among the overseas artists who performed at Exit Festival, the biggest major international festival since the pandemic began.
Exit co-founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević comments: “Research from Exit proves that even during a pandemic, a means and a model can be found according to which even the largest events can take place completely safely. This research is our contribution to the struggle of the entire music industry for far better treatment in Europe and other countries than has been the case so far. We have proven that we have been treated unfairly in the past, and that there are no longer any arguments and justifications that can allow gatherings at sporting events, in cafes or shopping malls, and not at concerts and festivals.
“I call on our entire industry to, just like we have fought and won in Serbia, join forces and fight for the fair treatment of our industry on an international level.”
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Exit festival pulls off major international event
Serbia’s Exit Festival took place last weekend (8–11 July), attracting 42,000 festivalgoers from more than 70 countries on the opening day alone.
The 20th-anniversary edition has been slated as ‘the first major festival in Europe to take place this summer after the pandemic,’ having hosted both a multi-national crowd (50% of the four-day ticket holders came from abroad) and an international line-up.
David Guetta, Sabaton, Charlotte de Witte, Nina Kraviz, Paul Kalkbrenner and Solomun were among the international headliners that performed in the 17th-century fortress in Novi Sad – while others were forced to cancel at the last minute, “mainly due to pandemic-related reasons”.
According to the organisers, besides the programming, the biggest challenge of putting on the event was the “ever-changing regulations due to Covid-19” but the festival worked with the Serbian authorities and health organisations to create a protocol that was “legal and realistic” for the fans.
Visitors were allowed to enter the event either with proof of immunity (vaccination or antigens from a past infection), or a negative test (either before entering the country or at the test zone set up by the festival).
“Festivals are generally made to promote values worth living for and we are determined to prove that they can be organised safely”
The organisers say that early statistics have shown less than a dozen positive cases from approximately 14,000 tests done at the festival’s pre-entry test zone.
“I knew this year’s event was more than just a festival, it was a movement of people, ready to do whatever it takes to keep human connections at the forefront of our existence,” says Dusan Kovacevic, Exit founder and CEO.
“Festivals are generally made to promote values worth living for and we are determined to prove that festivals can be organised safely even during a pandemic. That’s why we have worked tirelessly to create a best practice model on how to do it. Besides our own event, we also hope that Exit will be an encouragement to all our international festival colleagues, the ‘Festival Family’ that it is possible for all of us.
“A festival is only as strong as its fanbase and during the four days we had a gathering of probably the most passionate festival fans in Europe and beyond! The ones that didn’t mind coming despite all uncertainties, cancellations and travel, PCR tests and other obstacles. They felt the same superstrong need we had all this time – a need for us to be together no matter what, united as one by power of music and life,” he concluded.
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Exit announces new festival in Bulgaria
Not content with Exit Festival being one of the only major festivals in Europe going ahead this summer, Serbia’s Exit will launch a new open-air event, Sunland, in Bulgaria next month.
Nina Kraviz-headlined Sunland will take place on Perla Beach, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, from 29 to 31 July. Sunland joins the a festival family which also includes Sea Dance (Montenegro), Sea Star (Croatia), No Sleep (Serbia), Revolution (Romania) and F84 (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
In addition to the new event, Novi Sad-based Exit has also announced plans for a new nightclub in Changsha, China, dubbed Exit Effinity, and a partnership with Space Miami in the US, which will host an Exit-themed party this summer.
Exit announced last month will offer the coronavirus vaccine to international guests who attend its flagship event on 8–11 July.
Newly announced for Exit Festival 2021 is Jonas Blue, who joins previously announced acts including David Guetta, DJ Snake, Meduza, Paul van Dyk, Nina Kraviz, Sabaton and Paul Kalkbrenner.
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Exit festival to offer vaccines to int’l visitors
Exit Festival plans to offer doses of the coronavirus vaccine to international guests who attend the event this summer.
The Serbian festival, which will be held in Novi Sad from 8–11 July, is set to go ahead as normal as the country charges towards a full reopening on 21 June, thanks to Serbia’s “successful mass vaccination programme and significantly decreased number of new Covid cases”.
Now, “as a way to aid countries that currently have vaccine shortages,” Exit has partnered with the ministry of health to organise “a few thousand” coronavirus vaccine doses for international artists, ticketholders and accredited press who attend the festival.
The festival told IQ that international guests will be able to apply to have their vaccine in Serbia. More information regarding the vaccination process for international visitors will be announced soon.
Attendees who can prove they are immune against Covid-19 or can produce a negative PCR or antigen test will also be able to attend the 20th-anniversary edition of Exit – which is slated to feature international acts including Robin Schultz, David Guetta and DJ Snake.
“Serbia has been one of the global leaders in mass vaccination for months,” says Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabić. “Thanks to that, we have an ever-improving epidemiological situation and the plan is to open the country for gatherings, concerts and festivals on 21 June.
“Exit festival happening this July will be one of the important symbols of Serbia’s victory over the pandemic”
“In this way, we show not only the care for the event industry that contributes so much to our tourism and economy, but we also fight for the mental health of young people. Also, we confirm the strategic commitment of the government of Serbia towards the development of creative industries. Exit festival, which our country is globally proud of, happening this July will be one of the important symbols of Serbia’s victory over the pandemic”.
The country’s prospective 21 June reopening, which coincides with World Music Day, depends on 50% of adults getting vaccinated by that date.
Currently, around 45% of adults in Serbia have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with a further 5% expected in the next few weeks.
The government recently launched an immunisation campaign that would “reward” citizens for their “responsibility” to get inoculated against the virus.
Citizens over the age of 16 who have either already received one or two doses, or will be vaccinated with at least one dose by 31 May will receive a one-time payment of 3,000 dinars (€25). The amount equates to around 5% of the country’s average monthly salary.
The government initiative – believed to be the first of its kind in the world – is aiming to revive Serbia’s immunisation campaign amid waning public interest and growing scepticism.
Read about the international live music industry is divided as to how, if at all, fans’ vaccination status should be taken into account as live activity resumes here.
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