Kanye West is making a return to the UK for the first time since 2015, as the rapper has been announced as the headliner all three nights of the 2026 Wireless Festival, following his years of controversy.
The festival run by Festival Republic, which is part of Live Nation, announced on Monday that West would headline all three nights of this year’s event, similar to Drake’s three-night stint last year, calling it a “three-night journey through his most iconic records.” The shows in support Bully will be West’s first gigs in the UK in 11 years and come after the rapper, 48, took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal in January apologizing for his repeated incidents of hate speech against the Jewish people, claiming that his 2022 car crash caused brain damage that led to mental health issues.
The U.K.’s Jewish Leadership Council has issued a statement condemning the Wireless Festival for booking Ye (formerly Kanye West) as the headliner of all three nights (July 10-12) of the this year’s event at Finsbury Park in London. A spokesperson for the Council told the Guardian, “It is deeply irresponsible for Wireless festival to be headlining Kanye West. The UK Jewish community is facing record levels of antisemitism, including a terrorist attack in Manchester, the attack on ambulances in Golders Green and foiled plots which would have killed many more.”
West has a long history of making antisemitic statements, from releasing a song called “Heil Hitler,” to selling T-shirts with swastikas on them and declaring himself a Nazi. In addition, the U.K.’s Campaign Against Antisemitism told Far Out magazine that it was also vehemently opposed to the booking. “Kanye West has dedicated years of his life to trying to incite his followers to hate Jews,” a spokesperson for the charity said. “He has more followers than there are Jews on Earth, so his incitement has a huge impact. His cycle of apology and relapse has become a routine, so as with any addict once again we must wait to see if this time is any different.”