Kanye West to perform in Tbilisi as European tour expands despite controversy

• Kanye West is performing in Tbilisi on 12 June and Tirana on 11 July.
• Albania is building a temporary 60,000-seat stadium specifically for the event.
• Jewish leaders in Portugal are actively campaigning to stop his August 7 performance.
  

Kanye West is set to expand his European tour with newly announced dates in Georgia and Albania, even as he continues to face significant pushback over past anti-Semitic controversies.

On Wednesday, officials in Tbilisi, Georgia, confirmed that the rapper is scheduled to perform in the capital on 12 June 2026.

While specific details regarding the venue have been kept under wraps, the announcement has already sparked a frenzy among fans across the region.

Adding to his summer run, Ye will also head to Tirana, Albania, for a massive "one-night-only" performance on 11 July 2026.

Albanian Minister of Tourism and Culture, Blendi Gonxhja, announced that the event will take place at a specially constructed 60,000-seat "Eagle Stadium" located along the Tirana-Durres highway.

The Albanian government has highlighted the show as a major milestone for the nation's cultural tourism, promising a production of "highest world standards" to elevate the country’s international profile.

However, the tour remains a lightning rod for controversy elsewhere. A planned concert in Portugal on 7 August has drawn fierce criticism from the Israeli Community in Lisbon (CIL).

Leaders have sent formal requests to the local councils of Faro and Loulé, urging them to withdraw state resources and public facilities from the event, arguing that a "well-known anti-Semite" should not be facilitated by the government.

While several shows in France, Poland, and Switzerland were previously cancelled due to similar pressures, organisers in Portugal currently maintain that the show will proceed as scheduled.