Kanye West reportedly drew a crowd of 118,000 to Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday (May 30), with the rapper claiming that it was the largest stadium performance in history.
“I just want to tell y’all, we just broke the record, 118,000, largest stadium performance of all time,” West told the audience, according to Türkiye Today.
The show — which began at 9 p.m. local time and evolved into an all-night festival-style event featuring DJ sets, laser and light shows, pre- and after-party gatherings and performances by Turkish artists including Yener Cevik, Mavi, Sena Sener, Pera and Motive — drew fans from across Turkey and abroad, with attendees travelling from Russia, Kazakhstan, the U.K., Germany, the U.S. and Poland.
Organisers opened stadium gates at 3 p.m. to manage the anticipated influx, with crowds quickly filling metro platforms and corridors across the city as showtime neared. Travis Scott also joined West on stage during the show.
The Istanbul date marked the opening night of West’s first European tour in 11 years — and it came after a summer of closures across the continent. In April, the U.K. government denied West entry, ruling his presence “would not be conducive to the public good,” leading to the cancellation of his Wireless Festival headline slot, which had already lost major sponsors including PepsiCo and Diageo.
A Marseille show was postponed after French officials attempted to block it, and concerts in Poland and Switzerland were also cancelled. On the same day as the Istanbul concert, Italian authorities banned West and Travis Scott from performing at a July show at the 103,000-seat RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, citing security concerns following requests from consumer group CODACONS and Jewish communities in Modena and Reggio Emilia.
West has attributed his past antisemitic statements — which included comments praising Adolf Hitler, the release of content using Nazi imagery and the release of a song titled “Heil Hitler” — to manic episodes caused by untreated bipolar disorder. He published a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal in January 2026. Despite the European bans, several countries have permitted him to perform. His remaining confirmed tour dates include shows in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, Tirana, Albania on July 11, and Georgia and Spain later in the summer.
West’s commercial run ahead of the tour has been significant. His latest studio album Bully debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart upon its release earlier this year. His catalogue includes 24 Grammy Awards and 10 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, making him one of the most decorated artists in chart history.
