Wireless Festival has announced that its 2026 event will be cancelled after headliner Kanye West was denied entry into the country.
The American rapper was set to perform at the three-night festival in July, however the Home Office stopped him on the grounds that his presence in the UK would “not be conducive to the public good”. West made a series of antisemitic statements last year, released a song called “Heil Hitler” and made T-shirts featuring a swastika available for sale on his website.
While he issued an apology in January over the comments, West being announced as the Wireless Festival headliner resulted in widespread backlash – and now that the rapper’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) has been withdrawn, the festival has been scrapped this year altogether.
A spokesperson from the festival said in a statement on Tuesday 7 April: “The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom.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.
“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.”
More to come…
