Wireless Festival, which was due to take place in London in July, has been cancelled. This follows backlash over the decision to book headliner Kanye West, who was blocked from entering the UK due to his controversial opinions.
Kanye West’s history of antisemitism has come back to bite him
To recap, Kanye – legally, YE – was recently booked to headline Wireless Festival in London in July 2026. Some fans were excited about Kanye’s return to the UK music scene. But critics had a lot to say about the divisive move, due to the rapper’s long-history of controversial statements.
Perhaps most notably, Kanye has faced backlash for displaying antisemitic behavior. He has previously voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler, and also advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.
In response, Kanye apologized in a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal in January. He attributed his inflammatory actions to his bipolar disorder. But that has done little to salvage his reputation or gain him entry to the UK.
Now, Wireless Festival has been called off entirely. Multiple outlets, including the BBC, today reported that Kanye had been denied entry to the UK, prompting organizers of Wireless to cancel the event.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom,” Festival Republic said in a statement. “As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled, and refunds will be issued to all ticket-holders.”
“As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time,” the statement continued. “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had.”
“As YE said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”
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