Pepsi and spirits giant Diageo have both withdrawn their sponsorship of the UK’s 2026 Wireless Festival. Following the announcement that Kanye West, now known as Ye, would be the only headliner on all three nights. These withdrawals came rapidly, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
The festival has carried the name “Pepsi MAX Presents Wireless” as part of a partnership with the beverage firm since 2015. “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival,” Pepsi disclosed. Diageo did the same shortly after, with a spokesperson saying, “We have informed the organizers of our concerns, and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”
Ye was announced on March 30 as the headliner for all three nights of Wireless 2026, Wednesday to Friday, July 10–12, at Finsbury Park in north London. His most recent UK concert dates back to 2015 at the Glastonbury Festival. It was promoted as a long-awaited return, though the reception was far less welcome than organisers probably imagined.
Ye & Wireless Fest
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first political voice to speak out. He says it’s “deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.” The charity Campaign Against Antisemitism said it was calling for Ye to be denied entry to the country outright. Rather than just the festival.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said that Wireless “should not be profiteering from racism” by booking Ye as the sole headliner. Adding that the “decision breaches Wireless’s own charter” on not tolerating discrimination.
By Monday, the list of sponsors withdrawing had grown. Rockstar Energy and PayPal announced they had ended their sponsorships. PayPal also said it would no longer allow its branding at the event.
Why?
The backlash is part of a longer, uglier train. In 2023, West released a song titled “Heil Hitler” months after selling a swastika t‑shirt on his website. Australia denied him a visa in July 2025 after the song came out. The Home Affairs Minister said the country was not “deliberately importing bigotry” anyway. Whether the UK will make the same decision is still up in the air. There’s also the practical issue of entry, as a US citizen, West would need to be cleared to perform there.
As a heads-up, West put out a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal in January. Admitting to his behavior and saying he had been receiving treatment for a brain condition after “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.” He hasn’t responded to the Wireless incident.
Organizers haven’t spoken either. The show is still on as of now. Wireless can attract up to 150,000 people a year. Whether it survives to July is genuinely in the air.
