Britons ‘Invade’ Serbia for Exit Festival

Hundreds of visitors, many of them Britons, are pouring into Serbia’s northern city of Novi Sad, pitching up tents to get the best spots for the Exit festival.

A huge campsite was opened Monday, three days before the start of the four-day musical extravaganza in order to avoid the huge last-minute rush which was seen in previous years when the site was opened simultaneously with the festival.

The camp will be open until July 16 and those staying there will have access to everything from toilets and showers, to wireless internet.

The Exit Festival, held every year since 2000 in Novi Sad, started as an artistic antidote to the grim reality of the regime led by late strongman Slobodan Milosevic and has grown into one of Europe's biggest and most vibrant musical celebrations.

The organisers say that guests from the UK are usually the first to come and generally outnumber other foreigners.

Big crowds of young people from the region also frequent the festival.

This year in the stunning surroundings of the historical Petrovaradin Fortress, visitors will rock to the sounds of Manu Chao, Sex Pistols and Primal Scream among others.

The festival kicks off Thursday and lasts through to Sunday. Tickets for the whole event cost some € 100, while daily passes vary from € 30-36. Organisers expect more than 250,000 visitors over the four days.