In a year marked by a major anniversary, powerful emotions, and exceptional energy, the EXIT Festival has once again found itself among the elite by entering the grand finale of the European Festival Awards (EFA) – the most prestigious festival recognition in Europe.
A two-time winner of the award for Best Major Festival, for its 2013 and 2017 editions, EXIT has this year reached the shortlist in four separate EFA categories.
EXIT has been ranked among the top 10 in the Best Major European Festival category, alongside European festival giants such as Rock Werchter (Belgium), Mad Cool (Spain), and Pinkpop (Netherlands). The festival has also been nominated for Promoter of the Year, together with Tomorrowland, Sziget, and Germany’s leading event organization FKP Scorpio. EXIT founders Dušan Kovačević, Ivan Milivojev, and Bojan Bošković have been nominated in the “Award for Excellence and Passion” category, while EXIT’s Adriatic gem – the Sea Star Festival – has been included among the top 10 medium-sized festivals in Europe.
The anniversary edition at the fortress, enriched with performances by major global artists, brought a special dynamic that made this one of the most intense festival years so far. Winning an award would place a crown on this year’s edition and everything the festival has achieved throughout its 25 years.
In previous years at the European Festival Awards, EXIT has also received recognition for its innovative and socially engaged projects. Among them is last year’s prestigious Take a Stand Award for the “Live for Real” campaign carried out in cooperation with UNICEF, honoring the festival’s efforts to address the growing issue of digital addiction among young people through a series of ongoing activities.
Also worth mentioning is the recognition given to Exit’s Sea Dance Festival in 2015 for Best Medium-Sized European Festival, as well as the strong achievement of Exit’s Belgrade rave marathon, the No Sleep Festival, which won the title of Best New Festival in Europe in 2019.
In addition to its notable success at the EFAs, EXIT has been awarded at other European and regional ceremonies as well. Highlights include the UK Festival Awards, where it was named Best European Festival in 2007, the Best European Festival 2016 title awarded by European Best Destinations, and the highest recognition of the Regional Cooperation Council, which named EXIT the Champion of Regional Cooperation in Southeast Europe in 2017.
The winners of the European Festival Awards will be announced at the opening of the Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) festival, held from 14 to 17 January in Groningen. The full list of categories and finalists is available on the official European Festival Awards website. ESNS has long been one of the most important European gathering points for the music industry and a key platform for showcasing new talent, playing a central role in shaping emerging trends on the European music scene.