Kanye West's concert in Almaty postponed
Tengrinews.kz — Kanye West's performance, scheduled for August 14 at Almaty Central Stadium, has been postponed due to safety concerns.
According to concert organizers, the event will now take place tomorrow, Saturday, August 15.
The American rapper is set to take the stage at Almaty Central Stadium as part of his world tour. This marks Ye's first major concert in the city. While the artist has visited Kazakhstan before, he has never held a full-scale public stadium performance in the country.
News of the concert first broke on July 17, immediately sparking a dispute with the Kairat football club. The club claimed the concert date had not been coordinated with them. Kairat plays its home matches at Central Stadium, and the team was scheduled to continue its European competition run in August. The club also expressed concerns that the assembly and disassembly of the massive stage could damage the pitch.
Due to the situation, organizers even delayed the start of ticket sales by 24 hours—from July 20 to July 21. At the time, they assured fans that the concert itself would still take place on August 14 at Central Stadium.
Ultimately, Kanye West secured the venue. Kairat petitioned UEFA to relocate a potential home match for the third qualifying round of the European cups. The meeting was subsequently approved to be held at the Turkistan Arena.
After nearly a month of discussions, stadium disputes, and delayed ticket sales, the day of the performance finally arrived.
While fans initially worried whether the concert would happen at Central Stadium at all, the day of the show brought new challenges: a blackout, high winds, and heavy rain.
Video still
First, Almaty struck experienced power outages, and by evening, just a few hours before the artist was due on stage, the weather took a sharp turn for the worse.
Despite the conditions, crowds continued to gather at Central Stadium. Fans braved the rain, covering themselves with jackets as they waited for Kanye West to appear.
Photo: Tengrinews.kz
Despite the inclement weather, the mood remained upbeat. Attendees chatted, laughed, and filmed the scene on their phones while waiting for the show to begin. However, following the announcement of the postponement, the crowds began to leave the stadium.
Photo: Tengrinews.kz
The rapper himself posted on social media, confirming that the Almaty concert had been moved to tomorrow.
To the people of Almaty Due to weather conditions today’s concert will be postponed until tomorrow Health and safety is priority See you tomorrow
— ye (@kanyewest) August 14, 2026