Kanye West rocks Istanbul with historic 118,000-fan show - VIDEO

Global rap icon Kanye West made history in Istanbul on Saturday night, drawing a massive crowd of 118,000 fans to the Atatürk Olympic Stadium for his first-ever performance in Türkiye. The highly anticipated concert quickly turned into one of the biggest musical events of the year.

The stadium reached full capacity hours before the Grammy-winning artist even took the stage. Fans traveled from all over the world to witness the milestone event, with massive groups arriving from the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Poland, and across the Middle East, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Ye live in Istanbul, Turkey. Stadium FILLED the brim. 120,000 people. Ye gave them an unforgettable night. pic.twitter.com/wF1mjTrWiG

— Yeezyrih #BULLYSZN (@Yeeezyrih) May 31, 2026

West kicked off the high-energy, two-hour set with his hit track Father and closed the night with the anthem Stronger. Performing atop a giant spherical stage, he ran through a career-spanning setlist of his most popular tracks, including King, Runaway, Power, Flashing Lights, Heartless, Black Skinhead, All The Love, and Homecoming, prompting massive sing-alongs from the stadium crowd.

The concert's production was a visual spectacle inspired by West’s previous iconic shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. A massive hemispherical structure built in the center of the stadium was transformed into a giant, glowing globe using high-resolution projection mapping, all paired with elaborate lighting rigs and dramatic smoke effects. At several points during the night, the stadium turned into a sea of lights as thousands of fans illuminated the arena with their smartphones.

The historic event also drew a star-studded crowd of local Turkish celebrities, including actors Şükrü Özyıldız, Alina Boz, Hazar Ergüçlü, Yasemin Allen, Afra Saraçoğlu, and Aslı Tandoğan, alongside singers Elif Buse Doğan and Burak Kut.

For the millions of fans worldwide who couldn't secure a ticket to the sold-out stadium, the entire concert was live-streamed on Kanye West's official YouTube channel, pulling in millions of concurrent viewers within minutes of going live.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada