The festival was founded in 2000 in Novi Sad, Serbia as a student movement, fighting for democracy and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans. After the Yugoslavian general election in 2000, Exit moved from the city's university park to the Petrovaradin Fortress in the same city in 2001. Nonetheless, social responsibility is still key aspect of the festival activities. In February 2007, management of the festival has given away the festival to the ruling political party in Novi Sad, which gave away the political change and the questionable views, contrary to the movement upon which the festival was initially based upon. In 2007 Exit won the Best Overseas Festival award at the UK Festival Awards and was voted Best European Festival at the Yourope Awards. It won the Best Major Festival award at the European Festivals Awards in 2013 and 2017. In 2006 The Observer listed Exit as its festival pick in its list of top 25 travel experiences. The Guardian listed it in "12 top trips for 2008". The international edition of CNN, CNN World Fiesta, included Exit on the list of nine best music festivals in the world in 2011. In 2013 Euronews listed Exit as sixth in its pick of 10 European music festivals. In 2018 BBC News noted Exit as one of the world's largest music festivals, hosting more than 200,000 people from 60 countries. In June 2019 Forbes published an article claiming that "Thanks to the upcoming EXIT Festival, Serbia is now a new festival hot spot worth your attention". Superbrands Serbia 2006–2007 listed Exit as one of seven public urban identity superbrands. In March 2018 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Regional Cooperation Council awarded the Exit Festival as Champion of Regional Cooperation for 2017. In 2020 Exit was scheduled to organize five events in four countries in South-East Europe: Sea Star Festival in May; Revolution Festival in August; Exit Festival in July; Sea Dance Festival in August; and No Sleep Festival in November. Due to the 2019/20 COVID-19 Pandemic, Sea Star Festival was postponed until May 2021, Exit Festival has been pushed back a month, to August 2020 at first, but ultimately postponed until July 2021, while the status of the three remaining festivals is yet to be announced. Previously, Exit also organized Festival 84, which was cancelled in February 2019 due to administrative reasons beyond the organizers' control.
