London’s Wireless Festival has been scrapped for 2026 after Kanye West was denied entry into the UK.
The controversial rapper – who now goes by Ye – was slated to headline all three nights of the major hip-hop festival, but has had his travel authorisation revoked by the UK Home Office, which ruled his presence would not be “conducive to the public good”, per Rolling Stone.
With West’s appearance central to the entire lineup, organisers were left scrambling to salvage the event. Ultimately, replacing three headline sets on short notice proved too big an ask, forcing the cancellation of the festival altogether.
The decision follows mounting backlash over West’s history of antisemitic remarks and behaviour, which had already seen sponsors pull out and politicians weigh in publicly. Brands including Pepsi, Diageo, PayPal, and Rockstar Energy withdrew their support of the festival, while the likes of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer labelled the booking “deeply concerning”.
Despite West’s history of antisemitic comments and praise for Nazis, Melvin Benn, Festival Republic’s managing director, defended the booking. In a statement to Rolling Stone, he framed the booking around “forgiveness” and second chances, acknowledging the rapper’s past remarks while arguing that audiences should allow room for redemption.
West launched an apology tour for his past behaviour in January with a full-page Wall Street Journal ad. “I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular,” it said. “All of it went too far.” The ad was meant to clear the way for a comeback, paving the way for West’s Bully album, which came out in March. “In a way, it is his most human album to date, inasmuch as it proves that even stars as bright as Ye begin to dim with time,” Rolling Stone wrote in a review. Despite a lack of quality and West’s questionable behavior, the album debuted at Number Two on Billboard.
He recently returned to the stage with two nights at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to coincide with the release of his new album, Bully. Along with Wireless, he has upcoming shows scheduled in India, Turkey, and several major European cities.
