EXIT 2 Montenegro Sees 150,000 Attendees; Cuffe And Taylor UK Series Draws 225,000

EXIT 2 Montenegro Draws 150,000

After political pressure over its support for student protests forced EXIT out of Serbia, the award-winning festival brand decided to go on a world tour and stage events and festivals in different countries , Montenegro being one of them.

The first of two festivals under the EXIT to Montenegro banner took place July 3-6 on Long Beach (Velika Plaža) in Ulcinj, with a lineup that featured Monolink, Jamie Jones, Stephan Bodzin, Konstantin Sibold, Fiona Kraft, Space Motion, Deer Jade, and more.

The second event was the return of Sea Dance festival to Budva, Montenegro, Aug. 28-30, headlined by Charlotte de Witte, Boris Brejcha, Hugel, Enrico Sangiuliano, John Newman, who brought his new live show, Peggy Gou, Marcel Dettmann and more.

Sea Dance is another event from the EXIT family that was forced to leave the country over a dispute with the Montenegrin government . The old dispute seems to have been overcome, as EXIT and the Montenegrin Government found common ground and reached an agreement to develop music tourism in the region.

The Montenegrin prime minister Milojko Spajić commented, “EXIT is not just about bringing a major festival to Montenegro. It is an opportunity for the country to showcase its full potential, energy and openness – a confirmation that Montenegro is taking centre stage in the region and attracting attention from around the world.”

Earlier this year, when EXIT first announced Montenegro as one of the stops on its world tour, the prime minister estimated that the events in Ulcinj and Budva would generate at least 210,000 overnight stays and more than €40 million in tourism revenue in 2026.

Around 150,000 people attended the two festivals in Ulcinj and Budva, with audiences from more than 100 countries, according to a press release from EXIT. Most international visitors travelled from Germany, the UK, Turkey, Italy, Poland, France, the United States and countries across the Balkan region.

Alongside the international acts, both festival’s lineups also featured leading regional acts and served as a great showcase of Montenegro’s domestic music scene.

An important visual link between the two events was a monumental 12-meter sculpture name “Ivana,”, dedicated to Ivana Kovačević, wife of EXIT founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević, mother of three and one of the most important members of the EXIT family, who passed away last year.

“Conceived as an act of love and remembrance, it also carries a broader message about the empowerment of the feminine principle, enduring love and the importance of protecting nature, especially Long Beach in Ulcinj, where the first edition was held,” EXIT has stated.

Beyond the festivals themselves, EXIT’s Montenegro chapter also carried a strong humanitarian message through the “United for Kids” charity evening, which raised support for a rehabilitation house for children recovering from cancer treatment, as well as for the local Day Centre for children and young people with disabilities. John Newman, who himself battled cancer several years ago, supported the initiative with an intimate DJ set outside of his main festival performance.

Reflecting on EXIT’s first season beyond Serbia and the success of its new international chapter, founder and CEO Dušan Kovačević commented, “Following our departure from Serbia, it was a big challenge to completely transform our business model while already in motion. At times, it felt like upgrading an aircraft engine while the plane was still flying. However, we are extremely pleased with how our international tour has unfolded so far.

“Every festival has been a great success, especially the recently concluded Sea Dance in Budva, and we are grateful to Montenegro for giving us its support when we needed it most. In return, we delivered truly exceptional events and fantastic images that travelled around the world. I am especially proud that, alongside some of the biggest international stars, we engaged as many as 122 local artists, giving them the opportunity to perform in front of an international audience.”

Building on a summer that connected Ulcinj and Budva, EXIT is continuing its international journey. The next stop on its global tour will be Egypt, where one of Europe’s leading festival brands has been entrusted with staging the first, full festival format in front of the iconic Pyramids of Giza, bringing this new chapter of EXIT’s international journey to a spectacular close.

It will be called Starlight Festival and is realized together with P+us, the electronic music brand of local live entertainment company Venture Lifestyle.

One New, One Familiar: EXIT World Tour Stages Two Events In Montenegro

Record Summer For Live At The Piece Hall UK

Live Nation’s Cuffe and Taylor, promoters of TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall, reported that a record-breaking 225,000 tickets were sold for this year’s 42 headline shows that took place between June 6 and Aug. 28.

The lineup included the likes of Hollywood Vampires, David Byrne, McFly, Tom Jones, Garbage, Scissor Sisters, The Beach Boys, Turnstile, Paul Weller, CMAT, and many more. A total 28 shows were sold out.

The 225,000 sold tickets are around 40,000 more than the previous box office record set in 2025 .

Other interesting stats shared by Cuffe and Taylor include the fact that gig goers traveled to The Piece Hall in Halifax, England from 68 countries, with 81% of tickets bought by people from outside Halifax, and 45% of ticket buyers being new customers to The Piece Hall.

A Grade I listed architectural and cultural wonder, The Piece Hall is now an award-winning contemporary cultural, heritage and live entertainment destination which has welcomed more than 20 million visitors through its historic gates since it re-opened to the public in 2017. Cuffe and Taylor took on programming of The Piece Hall in 2022 .

The venue has won several awards including Inspirational Venue of The Year at the 2025 Northern Music Awards; the Backstage Brilliance Award at the 2025 Live Awards and Muddy Stilettoes Best Arts Culture & Theatre Award 2025. The Piece Hall was also shortlisted for Venue of the Year in the 2026 Music Week Awards.

An economic impact assessment was undertaken in 2025 by heritage and cultural sector specialists Counterculture LLP, who looked at the local, regional and national benefits brought by all activities at The Piece Hall. Findings showed The Piece Hall contributed £680 million ($920 million) in economic impact between 2015 and 2025, with projections indicating the venue will bring an ongoing boost of around £90 million ($122 million) per year into the region.

See: Cuffe And Taylor To Program The Piece Hall UK For The Next Five Years

Comments:

Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL FRSA, CEO of The Piece Hall Charitable Trust, said: “What a phenomenal achievement – 42 amazing shows, featuring world class artists bringing new visitors to the region and boosting the local economy. 2026 has firmly cemented our reputation as a globally renowned venue and I’m beyond proud of every single person who’s made this happen, from the events and production crews, security teams and cleaners to our in-house staff and brilliant volunteers.

“My deepest thanks to our co-promoters Cuffe and Taylor, everyone who bought a ticket to join us for a magical night in our unique courtyard, and to all the outstanding artists who put their trust in us. This season has proved beyond doubt this unique heritage site and local powerhouse has the appeal to attract the biggest stars on the planet, with all the benefits that brings to Calderdale and beyond.”

Peter Taylor, co-founder of Cuffe and Taylor, “What a summer! We knew going into the first sold-out show of the year with Shed Seven back on June 6 that this was going to be an incredible 2026 series – and it has truly delivered! 42 unforgettable nights, welcoming 225,000 gig goers here to this stunning and historic venue, memories that will last a lifetime – it really does not get any better. The feedback we have had from artists, their teams and fans, many of whom travelled from around the world to be here, has been amazing. It is further confirmation The Piece Hall has really become a ‘must play’ venue for the world’s biggest artists who are now beating a path to do a show here.

“The challenge when you reach the end of such a sensational and successful season is ‘how do you top that?’ But we are delighted to reveal we are well on the way with our plans for next year and we cannot wait to start announcing the first of the 2027 headliners.”

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_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/11/intl-festivals-150000-at-exit-2-montenegro-225000-at-cuffe-and-taylor-uk-summer-concert-series/)._