Many ticketholders have demanded a full refund and accused the festival of fraudulent advertising in response to this move. Organizers had earlier stated that the concert would be Lil Wayne’s only European performance in 2022.
The Home Office denied the American rapper’s visa in a “last-minute decision,” according to the Strawberries and Creem Festival, where he was scheduled to perform on Saturday.
The vocalist from A Milli was anticipated to perform alongside Tion Wayne, Mabel, Wilkinson, and Katy B.
Event organizers stated that they had gotten “little warning” of the lineup change and described the timing of the decision as “upsetting for all parties concerned.”
They stated, “due to exceptional circumstances beyond our control or influence, Lil Wayne is unable to perform at the festival.”
“The Home Office has denied Lil Wayne access to the United Kingdom in a last-minute decision. We are quite upset by this abrupt and unfavorable decision.”
According to festival organizers, this was to be the Grammy-winning artist’s only European performance in 2022.
The Home Office announced that the hip-hop singer had been denied admission, stating that all those with a prison sentence of one year or more “must have their application declined.”
Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, was convicted of gun possession in 2010 and sentenced to one year in prison; he served eight months.
In 2020, he pled guilty to a federal weapons charge, but then-president Donald Trump pardoned him in January of the previous year.
In the past, he was denied entrance to the United Kingdom due to his prior convictions.
Grammy-winning musician Ludacris will now play in place of Lil Wayne, but several ticket holders have demanded a full refund over the move.
A user tweeted: “You must issue refunds here. Wayne is the only active person are come to see. The only reason he hasn’t performed in the United Kingdom for so long is that he was denied admission in the past; you must have verified this before introducing him.”
Another remark: “Absolutely impossible. Please let me know whether I am eligible for a full refund. This is deceptive marketing.”
As a result, the festival gave guests free access to Sunday’s event or a discount on next year’s festival tickets.
