Diageo joins Pepsi in withdrawing from Wireless Festival over Kanye West headline slot
The brand Diageo has joined Pepsi in withdrawing their sponsorship from Wireless Festival over Kanye West being booked as its three-night headliner.
Pressure has been increasingly mounting on the London festival, being held at Finsbury Park between July 10th and 12th this year, for their decision to platform the rapper given his history of antisemitic behaviour, including claiming he was a Nazi and releasing a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ in 2025.
As such, Pepsi, which was the biggest sponsor for Wireless, withdrew its sponsorship from the event on April 5th, confirming in a statement: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.”
Following on from this, drinks company Diageo, which owns alcoholic brands such as Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, also backtracked on its sponsorship of the festival over concerns regarding West.
A spokesperson for Diageo said in a statement (per The Standard): “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.”
When news of the rapper’s headline slot emerged last week, marking his first performance in the UK since Glastonbury in 2015, the UK charity Campaign Against Antisemitism exclusively told Far Out: “Kanye West has dedicated years of his life to trying to incite his followers to hate Jews. He has more followers than there are Jews on Earth, so his incitement has a huge impact.”
They added: “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.”
A number of UK political figures also waded into criticism of Wireless over the move, including London mayor Sadiq Khan and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. However, most notably, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the booking of West was “deeply concerning”.
Starmer continued, “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
As it stands, other brands including Budweiser and PayPal still remain sponsors of Wireless Festival and have yet to withdraw their support at the time of writing. However, a source subsequently confirmed to Far Out that Rockstar Energy will also be withdrawing its sponsorship.
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