Patriots Day Freedom Fest organizer Eric Deters says the September 26 event was called off because its funding model fell short, while disputing suggestions that the cancellation reflected a lack of grassroots support
A conservative political festival scheduled to feature musician Kid Rock and several prominent Republican and conservative figures has been canceled just days before it was set to take place in northern Kentucky, after organizer Eric Deters said only six of the event’s $1,000 VIP tickets had been sold.
The Patriots Day Freedom Fest was scheduled for Saturday, September 26, at Deters’ farm in Morning View, roughly 25 miles south of Cincinnati. Deters announced the cancellation Monday in a Facebook video that was subsequently deleted, according to multiple news organizations.
The festival was designed differently from a conventional ticketed concert. Deters said general admission and parking were intended to remain free, with much of the event’s expenses financed through premium ticket sales.
According to Deters, he expected approximately 100 friends, business associates and other financially well-off contacts to purchase VIP packages costing $1,000 each. When he checked the numbers five days before the festival, however, he said only six had been sold.
Deters described the cancellation as a financial decision rather than a judgment about the political movement associated with the event.
“It’s a business call,” he said, according to published accounts of his announcement.
Kid Rock Among Scheduled Guests
Kid Rock, whose legal name is Robert Ritchie and who has been a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, was among the biggest names advertised for the festival.
Other scheduled participants reportedly included Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, reality television personality Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein and commentator Joe Concha.
Deters emphasized that Kid Rock was not responsible for the cancellation. As of the initial reports, the musician had not publicly commented on the decision.
Organizer Says Funding — Not Grassroots Attendance — Was the Problem
The unusually low VIP sales quickly became the focus of national coverage, with some outlets portraying the cancellation as evidence of weak interest in the gathering.
Deters disputed that interpretation.
In a subsequent video, he maintained that supporters of the MAGA movement had consistently attended Freedom Fest in previous years and said the problem was specifically his inability to finance a free festival through the VIP-ticket model.
Because regular admission was supposed to be free, the six VIP sales alone do not establish how many people would have attended the festival had it gone forward.
That distinction is significant: the publicly reported figure concerns the number of $1,000 VIP packages sold, not six total tickets or six prospective attendees.
Deters Criticizes Wealthy Contacts
Deters also expressed frustration with affluent acquaintances whom he said he had expected to support the event financially.
He said he frequently assisted people within his network but received little response when he asked them to purchase VIP packages. In his comments, Deters sharply criticized wealthy individuals as a group while praising ordinary Americans across political parties as the country’s backbone.
He also indicated that the experience had convinced him to stop organizing Freedom Fest.
“I am never ever, ever, ever, ever doing this event again,” Deters said in the cancellation announcement.
Festival Has Featured Trump Family Members
Freedom Fest began in 2022 and has previously attracted high-profile figures from conservative politics and media.
Past participants have included Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and commentator Candace Owens. The festival has combined political speeches with entertainment, food vendors, children’s activities and fireworks.
The gathering did not take place in 2023 after plans involving Donald Trump changed, but it subsequently returned.
Deters himself has been active in Kentucky Republican politics and ran unsuccessfully for the party’s gubernatorial nomination in 2023.
Cancellation Comes Five Days Before Event
Calling off the September 26 gathering with only days remaining leaves organizers, scheduled participants and prospective attendees dealing with the consequences of a late cancellation.
But the circumstances also illustrate the financial risks involved in staging large political events while keeping general admission free.
Deters’ strategy depended heavily on a relatively small number of higher-priced supporters underwriting the larger gathering. With only six VIP packages sold against his expected target of roughly 100, he concluded that continuing with the event was financially impractical.
The cancellation has generated considerable political commentary online, but the available evidence does not establish why individual supporters chose not to purchase VIP tickets or what the episode indicates about broader political sentiment.
For Deters, however, the immediate conclusion was simpler: the financial support he expected did not materialize, and he says Patriots Day Freedom Fest will not return under his leadership.
By The Haitian Tribune Staff | September 22, 2026 | MORNING VIEW, Kentucky
