A festival in Slovakia that was due to be headlined by Kanye West was cancelled last week after a petition was launched opposing the involvement of the controversial rapper. Reports suggest that West will now hop over the border and perform in Prague instead, and the festival’s next edition in 2026 will also take place in Czechia.
Organisers of rap festival Rubicon announced on social media last week that, “due to unforeseen circumstances, including external pressure and logistical challenges, we regret to inform you that the Rubicon festival will not take place this year”.
The three day festival, which was due to kick off on Friday, would have featured West’s only European performance of 2025 as its headline act on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, the booking of West sparked strong opposition from some quarters because of the various racist and antisemitic statements he has made in recent years, including expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler.
According to NME, when a petition was launched calling for West to be removed from the Rubicon line-up, the festival’s promoters defended the booking.
Although acknowledging the “unacceptable statements” West had made in the past, they said he had “deleted his comments” and “publicly apologised”, and “we believe that festival-goers deserve to see one of the most influential artists of our time live - not for his past, but for his music, his vision and his power to inspire”.
It’s not entirely clear to what extent the backlash over West’s booking led to the festival’s cancellation. There were also local media reports that the event’s organiser was experiencing financial problems and that the site on the outskirts of Bratislava where the festival was due to take place was still an unharvested wheat field.
According to Radio Prague International, West is now planning a standalone show in September in Prague. That’s seemingly based on a statement issued by the local council in the borough of Bratislava where Rubicon was due to take place. The radio station also reckons that the wider Rubicon festival will likewise move to Czechia when it returns in 2026.