Essential KnockOut, The Name gets it right there - from the production to the visual to the artistic side of it - this will knock you out! And - yes! - this is essential! 4 stages, unique décor and original design solutions, tons and tons of the best sound and lights equipment, the greatest and the latest in visualization of image on screens, the most powerful lasers in the world illuminating the sky above Riga city. As for the musical program - it's as ambitious as the technical production - world class DJ talent on all stages!

Essential KnockOUT 2008 will again feature performances by the world's leading disc jockeys and electronic dance music producers; the artistic as well as the technical solutions promise to be even more impressive than last year; also the territory of the happening will be enlarged.

As it was back in 2007 the technical constructions will be built in a way that ensures safety and performance in any kind of weather - most of the territory will be covered by a tent that already has a legendary status as the festival's main attraction image-wise.

The program of Essential KnockOUT 2008 starts off already at 3 PM and is set to make the morning light.

Already in the daytime line-up on all stages will feature acts as important as those that will showcase in the night. From the moment the sound overwhelms the isle the organizers together with all dance music lovers hope to capture the moods of the biggest European festivals that's only possible by letting yourself go to the sound of the drum as the sun shines on the waters surrounding the green spot while waiting for the night to come to take us all into a whole new world with only these three words written in it's founding constitution - Music. Joy. Togetherness.

Essential KnockOUT 2007 was attended by 11000, this year the organizers presume 15000 people to attend for who's comfort a quality infrastructure will be provided starting from bars and good food to attractions, festival souvenir shops and chill-out zones. The optimal set of the festival's entrances and exits will eliminate crowd squashes and ensure an effective self-regulating system. Also appropriate measures will be taken concerning vehicle parking in the area though the organizers do advise to take an alternative way of attending the festival - either by foot or public transportation.

The EXIT festival came into being in the year 2000 as an act of rebellion against the regime of Slobodan Milošević, that had for years been keeping Serbia out of touch with the outside world. That summer thousands of young people from Novi Sad gathered in the campus park by the River Danube where concerts, parties and art performances took place.  There were also discussions and debates where the young were able to express their opposition to the imposed nationalism, xenophobia, censorship and repression. The event lasted for 100 days and its grand finale was the ‘Get out to Vote’ party, which was held one day before the elections that saw the downfall of Milošević.

Having been inspired by the enthusiasm brought on by the changes in the country, the team behind EXIT decided to continue with the festival and create an event of true regional importance. They chose the historic Petrovaradin Fortress as their venue, built high on the banks of the River Danube offering a stunning view of Novi Sad. The site was originally occupied by the Romans, and re-built by the Austro Hungarian Empire as defense against the Turks in the 17th Century.

Although very few people believed the idea would be a success, the first event held in July 2001 was visited by 200,000 people from all over Serbia and neighboring ex-Yugoslav countries.

The festival lasted for nine days, had five stages, a theatre and a cinema. Apart from listening to the bands from Serbia, the EXIT audience also enjoyed performances by internationally recognized artists such as Finley Quaye, Kosheen, Roni Size, Banco de Gaia, Tony Allen, Max Romeo, Luke Slater, Salome de Bahia, and Tim Simeon. For the first time after the war, performers from Croatia played in front of a large audience in Serbia.

Those who came to EXIT spread the word that it was the best party in the Balkans and the following year the number of visitors doubled to 400,000. The festival camp sprang up on the other side of the river with more than a thousand tents and a grand Dance Arena for 25,000 people was constructed at the fortress where David Morales, Darren Emerson, Lottie, Erick Morillo, Marshal Jefferson, LTJ Bukem, Brenda Russell, Derrick Carter and Kevin Yost performed. Artists who took to the main stage were the Asian Dub Foundation, Rundamenthal, Transglobal Underground, Smoke City, Roni Size, KAOS Night and Horace Andy.  An enormous banner was placed on the walls of the fortress facing the city of Novi Sad saying “SERBIA, ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUTURE?” The success of EXIT caused a chain reaction of festivals to spring up all over the country, but most of them did not manage to survive.

After the first two festivals the appetite of the audience grew and the EXIT team decided to shorten the festival to four days so that the budget could be concentrated and more resounding names could be brought in. EXIT 03 had seven stages with performances from over 400 artists, including Stereo MC’s, Moloko, Shane McGowan, Chumbawamba, Tricky, Jeff Mills, Darren Emerson, Lottie and DJ Marky. Apart from the festival goers attending from the Western Balkan states the festival also hosted guests from Hungary, Greece, UK, Sweden and Australia.

The festival proclaimed the State of EXIT – a state for those who share values, environmental awareness, and tolerance and are open to the different cultures and also want to make the world around them a better place. The festival flyers were printed as passports.

The festival kept on growing and the EXIT 04 line-up included Massive Attack, Iggy and the Stooges, Cypress Hill, Brand New Heavies, Neneh Cherry, Goldfrapp, Peaches, Senor Coconut, Timo Maas, Roger Sanchez, Satoshi Tomiie, Steve Lawler, Technasia amongst others.

As well as being one of the biggest festivals in South East Europe, Exit has an enormous impact on the society and the organization's political agenda is still paramount.  In 2004 MTV Europe’s Foundation partnered with EXIT staff, anti-trafficking organizations and local media to raise awareness of trafficking and sexual exploitation in the region. 20,000 information booklets were handed out during the festival and workshops were organized with journalists, police, activists and cultural figures. MTV also produced a one-hour documentary about EXIT that included the trafficking issues that was aired in 20 countries across Central and Eastern Europe.

The fifth festival year was highlighted by the White Stripes, Garbage, Ian Brown, Underworld, Slayer, Apocalyptica, Datsuns, Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Felix Da Housecat, Sasha and 2manyDJs. BBC Radio 1 also chose Exit for a special live broadcast with Annie Mac, Annie Nightingale, Fabio and Gilles Peterson.

Jason Carter, Radio 1’s executive producer of live events, commented “Exit Festival has a diverse and credible line-up and is our principal international music festival this summer. We plan to reflect for our listeners what is new and important in live music today.”  The festival was visited by around 1500 Brits who seemed to have brought the English weather with them as it was the first time EXIT had faced bad weather. The audience showed however, that rain and mud could not spoil their fun.

In 2005 MTV Europe Foundation introduced the Free Your Mind Stage at EXIT, which provided an invigorating environment for festival goers to openly  discuss, debate and learn about the topics surrounding trafficking, abuse, exploitation, gender issues, economic pressures, youth unemployment, substance abuse and migration.

EXIT 06 was marked by the ‘Visa Abolishment Campaign’, which is against the complicated and hard Schengen visa regime that has kept young people from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Albania in isolation for years.  Prior to the festival, EXIT instigated a “NOT60EUROS!” campaign, where people from all around the EU were invited to record the phrase “NOT60EUROS!” in their own language and to send it to the campaigners. During the festival, a large billboard with a picture of the Eiffel tower was set up with the words “GREETENGS FROM EUROPE” written on it. Visitors were invited to have their picture taken in front of it so that the image could be sent to them as an e-card together with the e-mail addresses of EU institutions, the Western Balkan Government and the media. The point was to show that these people are the same as tourists in the front of the real Eiffel tower – the only difference being that they are not allowed to travel there.

The MTV Europe Foundation also hosted Free Your Mind Stage for the second year round and launched the Radis Nesto? (Are you doing anything?) campaign. This was a multimedia campaign designed to increase awareness about youth unemployment issues in South East Europe and thousands of informational booklets containing key messages and resources were handed out at the festival.

In the same year UK’s The Observer newspaper recommended EXIT as the best festival to visit that year, and the number of visitors from the UK rose to over 5000. There were 24 stages and the festival line-up included the Pet Shop Boys, Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, The Cardigans, The Cult, Billy Idol, Him, Dizzie Rascal, Madball, Goldie, David Guetta, Dave Clark, Derrick May, Hernan Cattaneo, Jeff Mills, and M.A.N.D.Y.

EXIT is rapidly gaining international recognition and proves that music is a universal language that can connect and bring people together and make the world a better place. - Exitfest.org

What is Sónar? Electronic music, dance sounds, conferences, exhibitions, museum format, discussion panel, record market, meeting point for professionals… Sónar is all this and more.

Every June, for three nights and three days, the bars, clubs, pubs and streets of Barcelona become even more busy than normal, as people from all over Spain, Europe, and the rest of the world descend upon the city to experience Sónar, an Advanced Music and Multimedia Art festival. The official website describes the festival as "the essential meeting point for an alert public, cutting-edge artists and the most influential professionals from the sectors of music and modern arts."

Sónar has been running for the last 15 years, and now attracts 80,000 people to the city annually. Unlike many other music festivals that have popped up over the last decade, Sónar is completely city based, meaning no mud, no portaloos and no camping. For those that prefer their festivals to be situated in a civilized, urban environment, rather than out in the not-so-great outdoors, Sónar is the festival for you.

Though Sónar embraces many forms of music, the emphasis is definitely on electronic styles; artists that have appeared in the last few years include: The Chemical Brothers, Richie Hawtin, Timo Maas, Miss Kittin, Aphex Twin, Cut Chemist, DJ Yoda, and Kraftwerk.

The festival has two distinct components; "Sónar by Day" takes place in the Center of Contemporary Culture and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is very close to the La Rambla. Here, visitors will find live music performances, DJs, multimedia art, record and clothes fairs, technology demonstrations, cinemas and other activities, split into a number of official areas known as SónarVillage, SónarCinema and Sónarama amongst others.

At around about 10pm each day, as the heat of the day starts to give way to slightly cooler night air, "Sónar by Night" begins. This takes place outside of the city center and special coaches are laid on to transport festival goers to the main arena, which is split into four areas. - Andrew Regan