The world’s leading gathering of the electronic music industry, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), is currently underway and runs until October 26, bringing together a wide range of workshops, panels, lectures, and music performances that shape the future directions of the global music scene each year.
This year, Emergency EXIT, EXIT’s flagship interdisciplinary project addressing urgent social and environmental challenges, takes center stage at ADE through the panel “Creativity in a Polarized World”, held today, October 24, as part of the ADE Green conference. The discussion focuses on the complex relationship between art, culture, and society at a time of growing political and social divisions across Europe.
In an era marked by increasing political polarization and social tension, artists, festivals, and cultural institutions are under mounting pressure to take a stand. This conversation gains particular relevance in light of the current situation in Serbia, where cultural actors are increasingly exposed to pressure and attempts at political influence. Emergency EXIT emerges as a concrete artistic response to these challenges, demonstrating how culture can serve as a platform for resistance, dialogue, and social awareness.
EXIT, which marked its 25th anniversary this year under unprecedented circumstances, continues to attract strong attention from European audiences and the global music community. After a series of presentations at major conferences across Europe this autumn, Emergency EXIT now arrives at ADE as a powerful example of how art and culture can actively respond to the most pressing issues of our time.
The panel brings together key voices behind the project: Dušan Kovačević, Founder and Director of EXIT Festival; Artur Mendes, Director of Portugal’s Boom Festival; and Àgata Tantinyà Vidal, Creative Director of Spain’s renowned theatre company La Fura dels Baus. The discussion will be moderated by British journalist and podcaster Greg Cochrane, with the aim of mobilizing audiences toward social action and opening a broader dialogue on contemporary values.
Taking place in central Amsterdam at 12:30 PM, the panel gathers partners of the international Emergency EXIT project, which connects artists, festivals, and sustainability experts from across Europe. Developed through a collaboration between the EXIT Foundation, Sea Star Festival (Croatia), Boom Festival (Portugal), La Fura dels Baus (Spain), and Green Events (Netherlands), the project promotes culture as a driver of social change and environmental awareness. Emergency EXIT is supported by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.
Later this evening, EXIT will also unveil the first destinations of its World Tour 2026, announced high above Amsterdam at EXIT’s traditional gathering at the iconic Crane Faralda Hotel.
