London’s Wireless Festival has been canceled after the UK government denied headliner Ye (Kanye West) permission to enter the country.
First reported by the BBC, the Home Office blocked the American rapper’s application to travel to the UK on the grounds that his “presence would not be conducive to the public good”.
The move follows a wave of political condemnation over last week’s announcement that West had been booked as the sole headliner for all three nights of the festival, scheduled for Finsbury Park from July 10-12.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously called the booking “deeply concerning” in view of West’s “previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”. Speaking today, Starmer said the artist should never have been invited to headline Wireless.
“This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism,” he said in a post on X. “We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan had also distanced City Hall from the festival appearance, while at least three sponsors — including headline partner Pepsi, drinks giant Diageo, and Rockstar Energy — had withdrawn from the festival since West’s booking was confirmed.
A ticket presale began at noon today (April 7) via Ticketmaster, and is believed to have sold out, with general on-sale set to begin the following day.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled.”
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC
However, promoter Festival Republic has confirmed the event will no longer go ahead.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders,” reads a statement from the Live Nation subsidiary.
“As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time.
“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.”
Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn had earlier issued a personal statement defending the decision to book Ye, condemning the rapper’s past antisemitic remarks while calling on critics to “offer some forgiveness and hope”.
Immediately prior to the Wireless cancellation, West said he would be “grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen”.
“I know words aren’t enough,” he said in a statement. “I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
But the Community Security Trust, a charity that aims to protect British Jews from antisemitism, said that preventing Ye from performing was a “sensible outcome”.
“People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behaviour will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation,” it said.
“Music festivals should be places where all communities feel welcome, not venues that platform individuals with records of profiteering from antisemitism, racism, and other repulsive views.”
Phil Rosenberg, Board of Deputies of British JewS
Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also welcomed the government’s decision, adding that the situation “could and should have been resolved much earlier”.
“We hope that lessons are learned across the industry,” said Rosenberg. “Music festivals should be places where all communities feel welcome, not venues that platform individuals with records of profiteering from antisemitism, racism, and other repulsive views.
“It should not be for the Jewish community alone to advocate for our safety; it is incumbent on the entire arts and cultural sector, and civil society as a whole, to recognise the scourge of antisemitism and heed the concerns of Jews when problematic acts are booked.”
West – who last performed in the UK at Glastonbury in 2015 – published a full-page advert in The Wall Street Journal in January, apologizing to the Black and Jewish communities, while attributing his offensive comments to a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior” linked to bipolar disorder.
The rapper released his twelfth studio album Bully on March 28, and played two sold-out concerts last week at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, featuring guest appearances from Travis Scott and Lauryn Hill.
He still has a string of dates planned in Europe this summer, with stadium shows lined up in Türkiye (Turkey), the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Australia revoked West’s visa in July 2025 after he released a track titled Heil Hitler in May of that year, with the country’s Home Affairs Minister saying the government would not “deliberately import bigotry”.
The corporate exodus around Ye echoes the 2022 wave of partnership terminations that followed his antisemitic remarks, when Adidas, talent agency CAA, and others severed ties with the artist.Music Business Worldwide
