Exit Festival

Vacay’s theme was juxtaposition: drinking rocket fuel with old men in front of garbage cans in Serbia and discussing “three things that get us out of bed each morning” on the beach in Dubrovnik.


Granted, that “morning” we got out of bed at noon.

But first, Exit.


Exit Festival was started in 2000 by three University students from Novi Sad. Initially the festival had a heavy political bent, protesting the government under President Slobodan Milošević. Now the festival is less controversial and more on point with its original mission of providing relevant entertainment to Serbian youth with a social conscious.


Crossing the Hungarian-Serbian border to get to Exit was bizarre. Over half of the cars had Dutch plates but were driven by gypsy families literally spilling out into the street. Passing a car on the two-lane highway in Serbia was like a game of chicken.


Between concerts, we visited the communist beach built as a “present for the people." Speakers blared techno music, and tattooed, chain-smoking mothers bounced their children to the constant beat. Death by skin cancer is a tertiary concern to secondhand smoke and alcohol poisoning.


Matjaz texted some good advice: "Hey Alex, once you are at the beach, don't go swimming. I know you like it, but this river passes through some big cities."


But there was nothing like the silent disco. When I finally made it into the tent, a 12-year old Serbian girl plopped a pair of giant earphones onto my purple afro. I then tuned into one of two DJs silently spinning on stage and danced away in my adult romper.


It was cool taking off the earphones and hearing everyone singing along to different songs.

Alyssa was really good at Peaches.

Time for a vacation.