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Serbia's Exit Festival: An eclectic music extravaganza in a unique setting

The award-winning Exit Festival in Serbia is one of Europe's biggest annual music events. As this summer's line-up is announced, Brendan Hughes looks back at his experience last year and gives a taster of what to expect

Fireworks mark the start of Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, on the banks of the Danube
Fireworks mark the start of Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, on the banks of the Danube Fireworks mark the start of Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, on the banks of the Danube

A HISTORIC monument awarded special protection by its country's government for conservation purposes doesn't sound like an ideal venue for one of Europe's largest annual music festivals.

But every year in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, its iconic Petrovaradin Fortress on the banks of the River Danube is transformed as it becomes a mecca for music lovers.

Since 2001 it has acted as the rather unique setting for Exit Festival. Born out of a student protest movement, Exit has grown into a four-day music extravaganza attracting hundreds of thousands of revellers annually.

The festival is celebrated as one of the best in the world, having won twice in the past five years the accolade of Best Major European Festival.

This year's line-up includes the likes of The Cure, Skepta and Tom Walker. After attending 2018's spectacle, it's easy to see the appeal.

The festival is on from 7pm to 7am – if you can last that long. While the main stage serves up an eclectic variety of headline acts, exploring the fortress grounds reveals more than 40 zones and smaller stages which offer welcome distractions catering for different tastes.

There are several stages devoted to varieties of dance music, but most ravers descend on the main dance pit with its vast wall of LED screens, giving a pulsating lights display to accompany the thumping beats.

Reggae, Latino and indie music among others are catered for, each being great to dip into for a few tracks before exploring the fortress further.

The silent disco proved extremely popular, with queues of people eagerly waiting to wrap their ears in the light-up headphones offering a choice of two live DJ sets. Bopping along in July to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas was a particular highlight.

Queues for drinks can be an off-putting problem for many music festivals, but Exit doesn't seem to suffer from this. The festival has plenty of stands to purchase beverages, so queues never seem longer than one or two people.

It also operates a card system where you pre-load money on to an Exit-branded card, so that when you go to buy drinks you simply tap your card against the till to complete the transaction. It's a nifty system that helps to speed up matters.

When you finish your partying, return the card to one of the kiosks and you will be reimbursed with the remaining unused balance.

The drinks are cheap in Serbia too. Last year it was around 250 Serbian Dinar for a pint of Heineken, which is around £1.90. There is also a dedicated food zone offering a variety of tasty treats to satisfy the hunger pangs.

Although Exit is set in the fortress, it's clear that Novi Sad as a city fully embraces the annual festivities.

Banners promoting headline acts are displayed along streets, and the entertainment spreads into the city centre with acts performing at a free open-air concert in the city square.

Liberty Square and Catholic Cathedral
Liberty Square and Catholic Cathedral Liberty Square and Catholic Cathedral

Restaurants and bars spill onto the pedestrianised streets in the evenings with patrons filling rows of outdoor parasol-covered tables.

If you're not sleeping off the night before, the city location offers plenty to do during the day when the festival is closed – from visiting wineries in the scenic hills surrounding Fruska Gora mountain to canoeing on the Danube.

Belgrade, Serbia's capital city, is also only about an hour's drive away for those wanting to further explore the Balkan nation.

While hardcore festival-goers may camp out at the sites provided near the fortress, many opt for the comfort of Novi Sad's array of hotel accommodation.

As dusk fell and as the festival ramped up each night, we joined the crowds of people streaming towards the vibrant festival across Varadin Bridge, lit in rainbow colours.

The fortress grounds themselves are decorated in quirky visual displays illuminated against the evening sky, while the opening night also features a fireworks display.

For seasoned festival-goers, Exit is definitely worth checking out. And for globetrotters needing an excuse to add Serbia to the list of countries they've visited, then Exit is a prime time to make it happen.

:: Exit Festival 2019 – featuring acts including The Cure, Skepta and Tom Walker – takes place from July 4 to July 7. Visit exitfest.org for details and a full line-up of performers. For holidaying in Serbia, visit serbia.travel, regentholidays.co.uk and traveltheunknown.com for more information. Air Serbia flies from Heathrow and all major European carriers connect to Belgrade.

Exit Festival 2019: The big names

The Cure
The Cure The Cure

:: THE CURE: In the year that the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Cure will headline the main stage of Exit Festival. With 13 studio albums, hit tracks including Boys Don't Cry and a four decades of performances under their belt, the English alternative rock band is bound to put on a live show to remember.

Skepta
Skepta Skepta

:: SKEPTA: As a rapper, songwriter and record producer, Skepta has become a key contemporary figure in the grime music scene. His fourth studio album, the self-released Konnichiwa, won the Mercury Music Prize in 2016 and the following year he was named on Debrett's list of the most influential people in the UK.

:: CHARLOTTE DE WITTE: The Belgian DJ and producer is known for her own style of uncompromising and headstrong techno music. She has featured on BBC Radio One's weekly Essential Mix programme as well as on the cover of DJ Mag, a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs.

:: DJ SNAKE: A French producer heralded in the electronic scene who has worked with some of the biggest names in music. His successes include 2013 hit Turn Down for What, a Grammy nod for his production work on Lady Gaga's 2011 album Born This Way, and collaborating with MØ and Major Lazer for the 2015 worldwide smash single Lean On.

Tom Walker
Tom Walker Tom Walker

:: TOM WALKER: The Scottish singer-songwriter rose to fame after his single Leave a Light On became a global hit last year. At the Brit Awards this year, he won Best Breakthrough Act and Leave the Light On was nominated for Best British Single. His first album What a Time to Be Alive, released in March, topped the UK charts.

:: TARJA: A Finnish heavy metal singer-songwriter and ex-frontwoman of symphonic metal band Nightwish. Known for combining her impressive operatic vocals with a metal sound, she has helped shape the genre through her work with Nightwish and four rock albums as a soloist.