Founded in the Serbian city of Novi Sad in 2000, EXIT began as part of a student movement for freedom and democracy. For 25 years, it was held every July at the Petrovaradin Fortress and spawned several spin-offs. However, the organizers canceled the event after its 2025 edition due to difficulties the festival faced because of its support of the ongoing protests in Serbia. However, the EXIT team continued organizing spin-off events and launched new ones, including Starlight Festival in Giza.
Originally announced in July 2025 as EXIT’s move to Egypt, Starlight Festival was eventually revealed to be a new event organized as part of the EXIT Global Tour in May 2026. Other events in the tour include No Sleep Festival in Serbia, EXIT2Montenegro in Montenegro, Spiral Festival in Malta, and Sea Star Festival in Croatia. The festival is co-organized by the EXIT team and P+US, a well-known Egyptian electronic music and live experience promoter known for staging massive open-air destination events.
Starlight Festival stood out from the other festivals in the EXIT Global Tour because of its unique location. Situated at the edge of the Western Desert, the Giza Pyramid Complex consists of three main pyramids (the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure), as well as the Great Sphinx of Giza and several smaller structures. The Great Pyramid is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still in existence.
Starlight Festival takes place on several stages against the backdrop of the Giza pyramids, highlighting the contrast between ancient Egyptian history and contemporary electronic music and large-scale audiovisual production. The festival program focuses heavily on techno and house music, featuring a lineup of internationally renowned artists and local Egyptian and MENA DJs and performers.
To provide opportunities for up-and-coming local performers, the organizers launched a special open call for Egyptian DJs and producers, Making It at Starlight. The contest invited Egyptian electronic music artists to showcase their artistic vision, creativity, and sound. Selected participants were offered the opportunity to perform at the Homeground stage of the festival in front of a global audience.
The inaugural festival took place on October 9 and 10, 2026. In addition, welcome and farewell events were held in Cairo on October 8 and 11. The festival featured three stages and several dozen performers, including Adriatique, Indira Paganotto, Pete Tong, Vintage Culture, Satori, Whomadeho, Awen, Biia, Charlie Sparks, Coco & Breezy, Charlotte de Witte, Michael Bibi, Enrico Sangiuliano, Cloonee, Baset, Deer Jade, Fiona Kraft, Floyd Lavine, Layla Benitez, Olympe, and others. The first day of the festival focused more on house music, while the second featured primarily techno performers.
