Kanye West is adding two major Russia dates to his 2026 live schedule, with back-to-back stadium shows planned for St. Petersburg this fall.
The rapper, who legally goes by Ye, is scheduled to perform at Gazprom Arena on Oct. 10 and 11. Reuters confirmed the dates after the venue announced the concerts through its Telegram channel on Aug. 17.
Ticket demand moved quickly. Prices start at 9,000 rubles, roughly $106 at the exchange rate cited by Reuters, and climb to 160,000 rubles, or about $1,885, for the most expensive options. Russian state news agency TASS reported that the cheapest tickets sold out within an hour.
The new dates arrive during an unusually turbulent touring year for Ye. His 2026 schedule has included massive international performances but also cancellations, postponements and restrictions in several European countries following backlash over his past antisemitic remarks, praise of Adolf Hitler and use of Nazi imagery.
Ye Is Booked for Two Nights at Gazprom Arena
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The official Gazprom Arena schedule now lists “YE KANYE WEST” for Oct. 10 and 11, while a dedicated ticket site operated with Say Agency and other production partners is selling admission for both nights. The official concert site also lists Gazprom Arena as the venue and provides separate ticket links for the Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 performances.
Gazprom Arena is the home stadium of Zenit St. Petersburg and can be configured differently depending on the event. Reuters described the stadium as holding about 70,000 spectators, while the venue itself says its maximum capacity for non-football events can exceed 80,000 when temporary seating is used.
If both concerts proceed as scheduled, Ye would become one of the biggest international music stars to perform in Russia since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The St. Petersburg dates would also mark a different kind of Russia visit for Ye. He traveled to Moscow in 2024 to attend the birthday celebration of Russian designer and collaborator Gosha Rubchinskiy.
Tickets Range From About $106 to Nearly $1,900
Ticket prices reported by Reuters range from 9,000 rubles at the lower end to 160,000 rubles for the most expensive options. Using the exchange rate in Reuters’ Aug. 17 report, that works out to approximately $106 for the cheapest tickets and $1,885 for the highest-priced options.
TASS reported that the least expensive tickets sold out within an hour of going on sale, although more expensive categories remained available. The demand comes despite the controversy that has followed Ye’s attempts to rebuild his touring business across Europe and elsewhere in 2026.
He has nevertheless demonstrated that he can still draw enormous crowds. On May 30, Ye performed at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Turkey before a reported audience of 118,000. His tour later reached Tbilisi, Georgia, where approximately 70,000 people attended, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he played another sold-out stadium show in August.
The Russia Dates Follow Cancellations and Restrictions Across Europe
Ye’s ability to book two nights at Gazprom Arena contrasts sharply with what happened to several of his planned European appearances earlier this year.
In April, the United Kingdom withdrew his electronic travel authorization, preventing him from entering the country for London’s Wireless Festival. Ye had been booked to headline all three days, and organizers subsequently canceled the festival and announced refunds.
A planned June concert at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome was also postponed after French authorities said they would seek to prevent the performance. Ye announced that postponement himself, saying he did not want to put his fans in the middle of the controversy surrounding him.
In Poland, Silesian Stadium canceled his planned June 19 concert after the country’s culture ministry sought to stop the appearance. The venue cited “formal and legal reasons.” Switzerland produced a slightly different outcome. FC Basel said it had received and considered a request for Ye to perform at St. Jakob-Park but ultimately decided not to proceed, saying it could not provide him with a platform in that context.
The backlash has centered on Ye’s history of antisemitic statements, including his praise of Hitler, as well as his use of Nazi imagery. He released a song titled “Heil Hitler” in 2025 and advertised a swastika T-shirt through his website. Ye publicly apologized in January 2026 for his antisemitic behavior. He attributed the period in part to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder and said he was taking responsibility for the harm caused by his statements.