The premiere is scheduled for May 15 at 8 PM on the EXIT festival’s official YouTube channel.
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Directed by Ivan Đurović, the film tells the story of one of the most famous festival stages in the world – EXIT’s Dance Arena, set within the monumental trenches of the Petrovaradin Fortress. “Nothing compares to EXIT, not even close,” “This is a vibe you can only have here – with this stage, with these people,” “A magical coincidence where so many people from all around the world are finding their peace on the dancefloor,” “Stepping up onto a stage like the Dance Arena is a real moment for any DJ,” “People are Dance Arena” – these are the words of artists who have helped build the stage’s legendary status and create an atmosphere that audiences remember for a lifetime.
Through archival footage, recorded sets, and artist interviews, the film reveals the story behind the magic of the Dance Arena. Artists sharing their experiences include Carl Cox, Nina Kraviz, Maceo Plex, Reinier Zonneveld, Denis Sulta, Blond:ish, Hot Since 82, Maria May, Stephan Bodzin, Tijana T, and more, while clips showcase performances from icons such as Paul Kalkbrenner, Boris Brejcha, Solomun, Keinemusik, and others.
As a true temple of electronic music and one of the global clubbing community’s most revered places, the Dance Arena has long been known as one of the world’s largest open-air dancefloors and a must-visit pilgrimage site for tens of thousands of fans who come every year to experience the magic of sunrise to the beats of top-tier global electronic acts.
Carl Cox describes the sunrise magic at the Temple of Electronic Music as a once-in-a-lifetime experience: “I always play differently at sunrise – with more feeling and more togetherness in the sound, based on that we’re all enjoying this moment.”
Blond:ish expresses a similar sense of complete freedom, describing the Dance Arena as a space where she feels completely liberated, emphasizing that it’s a place where she plays music she “would never have played anywhere else” in the world.
“The atmosphere is always amazing. I think it’s a mixture of the location, playing in the ramparts of a fortress, and the way they’ve done it with the crowd, is just epic, isn’t it?” said Maria May, an agent from one of the world’s largest booking agencies, CAA, summarizing what makes the Dance Arena so special.
These moments of freedom and connection with the audience are no accident – they’re the result of an atmosphere cultivated over many years. “We spread our passion to the artists, and then they create what they say are some of the best, if not the best, performances in their careers at the Dance Arena,” says Dušan Kovačević, founder of the festival.
Indira Paganotto, one of this year’s festival headliners, said after the Belgrade screening on November 16: “Watching this film brought me to tears, remembering all those beautiful moments.”
Beyond its enormous symbolic and musical significance, the Dance Arena is also one of the most complex production endeavors for the EXIT Festival crew, requiring intricate logistics and several weeks of preparation, which long-time EXIT team members also discuss in the film.
The global premiere of this documentary arrives in the year EXIT celebrates its 25th anniversary. Through the legend of the Dance Arena, the film captures not only moments from this monumental stage but also everything that has shaped EXIT over the past two and a half decades into a timeless place that unites hundreds of thousands of people from around the world under the banner of unity, music, and freedom, at the one-of-a-kind Petrovaradin Fortress.
At the landmark edition of the EXIT Festival, the Dance Arena will host powerhouse female artists from the global electronic scene, Amelie Lens and Nina Kraviz, as well as global techno sensation Yousuke Yukimatsu, high-tech minimal innovator Boris Brejcha, and the two most in-demand figures in modern techno – Indira Paganotto and Sara Landry, who will close the festival with an exclusive b2b set. The crowd will also be treated to DYEN b2b Nico Moreno, one of the rawest techno duos of this generation, as well as a performance by visionary producer Eric Prydz, known for pushing the boundaries of the festival experience. As part of the Diynamic night at the Temple of Electronic Music, Solomun will return, joined by Mau P, Ogazón, DJ Gigola b2b Tijana T, Lanna, and Hobin Rude. Strong local support will come from Reblok, Muhi, and Runy, representing a new generation of performers.
