Kanye West draws record crowd in Türkiye despite EU cancellations
The US rapper, also known as Ye, claims his Istanbul concert generated $100 million “in tourism money” as several European shows have been canceled
American artist Kanye West has said his debut concert in Türkiye attracted 118,000 fans, making it the largest stadium performance ever. The show was the first stop on his first European tour since 2014 and came as several planned appearances in EU countries were canceled over his past anti-Semitic remarks and other controversies.
West, who is also known as Ye, also claimed the concert at Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday generated some $100 million in tourism revenue for Istanbul.
Ye performs “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” in Turkey for the biggest ticketed concert crowd of his career so far 🇹🇷🔥 pic.twitter.com/5wVpHsIM4v
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) May 30, 2026
West has faced widespread criticism over anti-Semitic remarks and references to Nazi Germany in his lyrics and social media posts. An apology published in the Wall Street Journal in January, in which West attributed some of his past statements to untreated bipolar disorder, did little to ease the backlash.
However, fans from the US, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, and several Middle Eastern countries converged on Istanbul for the show, according to local media.
🇹🇷 I got to watch in Ye perform in Istanbul, Türkiye tonight pic.twitter.com/WTEermbmoa
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinkle) May 30, 2026
“I just want to tell y’all, we just broke the record, 118,000, largest stadium performance of all time,” West told the attendees.
The Istanbul performance came as several of West’s planned European appearances faced setbacks.
Kanye West, İstanbul konseri bilinçli olarak Kurban Bayramına denk getirildiyse akıllıca olmuş.
— Nejat Özonay (@NejatOzonay) May 30, 2026
118.000 kişiyle tüm zamanların stadyum performans rekorunun kırıldığı konser ve Andrea Bocelli için binlerce kişi yurtdışından geldi.
Efektif bir zamanlama… pic.twitter.com/Y0NbCjM4Lr
Authorities in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia announced on Saturday that West´s July concert had been canceled following objections from local anti-fascist groups and members of the Jewish community.
Last month, a stadium director in Poland said his June 19 show “will not take place due to formal and legal reasons.”
The rapper also announced the postponement of a June 11 performance in Marseille, France. The UK barred Ye from entering the country earlier this year.
In contrast to the difficulties he has faced elsewhere in Europe, West encountered no obstacles during a visit to Moscow in 2024. At the time, a representative of Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy told RT that West had traveled to the Russian capital to attend Rubchinskiy’s birthday celebration. Rubchinskiy, who was appointed head of design for West’s Yeezy brand in December 2023, turned 40 that year.
