EXIT Festival
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia
08/07/2010 -11/07/2010

EXIT began 10 summers ago as a clarion call for Serbia’s young people to stand up to the calamitous and corrupt regime of Slobodan Milosevic. The dictator had brought the country to war with the West the summer before – and the bombed-out, impoverished nation was on its knees. The momentum behind EXIT, and the desire of these progressive young Serbs to get their country back, kicked Milosevic out. A decade later and EXIT is the event that has truly put this country on the map – the single biggest reason why people travel to pretty Novi Sad now is for this giant party. Serbia is a pariah no more.

The Petrovaradin Fortress, which houses the festival, is immense. The size of a small town, this castle looms over the city of Novi Sad and the mighty Danube River. The fortress’s 300-year old nooks and crannies host the different areas that make up the festival, while the main stage is in a bigger open area down the hill to accommodate the enormous international crowd. That stage sees triumphant sets by LCD Soundsystem, DJ Shadow, The Chemical Brothers and Faith No More. A large British contingent of around 8,000 is dead set on going bonkers in the Balkans here this year, along with youngsters from around Europe. And rather than the air raid sirens of a decade ago, it’s the return of Klaxons that hangs in the air. While the spellbinding electro-wail of Royksopp strikes a particular chord with the crowd too.

Wonk-pop from Yeasayer, Daedelus and We Have Band has the profusely sweating crowd of kids from around the continent briefly putting their thinking caps on before the nightly rave begins. This is very much a festival in thrall to beats. Which is why the weekend belongs to SebastiAn, Boys Noize, Hudson Mohawke and, of course, Crystal Castles – playing in a castle. That historic venue really sets EXIT apart. As does a beach by the Danube, which makes this the exact opposite of boring British festivities.

But mostly this weekend belongs to the open minded organisers who’ve nurtured EXIT for a decade. Without their struggles, this mysterious Slavic land would still be marked with a scrawled “Here be dragons” on the maps of Western European youngsters and touring bands alike. For opening up a whole region in such style, those pioneers deserve a pat on the back. One delivered in a typically no-nonsense Serbian style, of course.

Chris Beanland