Wireless Festival has canceled this year’s festival and will refund tickets to everyone after the UK Government canceled Ye’s permission to enter the country, organizers have confirmed. He was slated to headline all three nights of the festival from July 10 to 12.

Ye (fka Kanye West) has caused controversy these past few years, after a chain of antisemitic comments, praising Hitler, and proclaiming himself a nazi, among other things. Last January 26, he took out a full-page ad (which he updated) in the Wall Street Journal to apologize to the black community and for his antisemitic remarks, saying he “lost touch with reality” due to his bipolar disorder.

Wireless Festival has issued a statement regarding the situation:

“The Home Office has withdrawn YE's ETA [Electronic Travel Authorisation], denying him entry into the United Kingdom.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."

As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel.

All ticket holders will recieve an automatic full refund. pic.twitter.com/nNCqUXNU6t

— Wireless Festival (@WirelessFest) April 7, 2026

Ye had made an application to travel to the UK on Monday. The Home Office refused his permission, as his presence would not be conducive to the public good, BBC reports.

Yesterday, following several Wireless Festival’s sponsors such as Pepsi and PayPal dropping after Ye was confirmed as headliner for the festival, Melvin Benn (managing director at Festival Republic) and organizer for the festival, issued a statement defending their decision:

"I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life. I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970’s that was attacked on October 7th, am pro Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state.  

Having had a person in my life for the last 15 years who suffers from mental illness, I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behaviour that I have had to forgive and move on from. If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work. 

What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and - taking him at his word - to Ye now also.  

Ye’s music is played on commercial radio stations in this country. It is available via live streams and downloads in this country without comment or vitriol from anyone and he has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country. He is intended to come in and perform. We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.  

Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do"  

Following Benn's statement, Ye addressed the controversy by updating his "To Those I've Hurt" WSJ apology:

“I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly. My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through music. I 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 – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.

With Love,

Ye
Formerly known as Kanye West.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews responded to Ye's petition to meet in another statement:

"Even while claiming remorse today, #Ye's latest album includes a track first released last year with the abhorrent title Gas Chamber. The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the… pic.twitter.com/Uts8sfbba4

— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) April 7, 2026