
Patriots Day Freedom Fest, the free pro-Trump festival that had Kid Rock on its bill, has been canceled days before it was due to open, because only six of the 100 VIP tickets sold. The $1,000 VIP tickets were supposed to pay for the whole event, which was set for Saturday, 26 September at organizer Eric Deters’ farm in Northern Kentucky.
Deters called it off on Monday in a string of Facebook videos, telling followers that ‘rich people, as a whole, suck,’ and vowing never to stage the event again. The Freedom Fest cancellation was first reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer and LINK nky.
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Six Tickets Out Of 100
The plan was simple, and that was the problem.
Deters kept general admission and parking free. The bill was supposed to be covered by 100 people paying $1,000 each for VIP access, which is $100,000 to put the show on. By Monday morning six people had paid. That’s $6,000.
‘When I put together Patriots Day Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan that I could pay for it with VIP sales of $1,000 from these hundred people,’ Deters said, according to LINK nky.
The bill Deters had promoted included Kid Rock, Duane ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ Chapman, US Representative James Comer, Republican Ed Gallrein and Fox News contributor Joe Concha. The event was due to run from 4 to 7 p.m. at his farm in Morning View, in Kenton County, about 20 miles south of Cincinnati.
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The Outrage Came From The Organizer
What turned a small cancellation into a national story was how Deters reacted.
In his Facebook videos, the former Northern Kentucky attorney and 2023 Republican candidate for governor went after the wealthy contacts he’d counted on. ‘I do countless favors for these people,’ he said, as reported by The Daily Beast. ‘None of these people will ever, ever, ever get a favor from me again.’
He said the cancellation came as ‘great relief,’ and he was blunt about the future. ‘I am never ever, ever, ever, ever doing this event again,’ he said.
In a second video he pushed back on the coverage. He said MAGA supporters had always turned out for Freedom Fest and that the only issue was paying for an event he made free.
It isn’t the first time Freedom Fest has fallen over. It didn’t go ahead in 2023 either, before returning in 2024 with Donald Trump Jr. at the top of the bill. This time Deters says there’s no comeback.
Where Kid Rock Stands
Kid Rock hasn’t commented on the cancellation, and nothing public suggests he had a role in how the event was funded. His name was on the promotional material, and that’s the extent of it.
It’s not the first time a Kid Rock date has fallen through. There was the North Dakota State Fair mess, and he’s spent recent years on bigger stages with runs like the Bad Reputation Tour with Foreigner and his 2025 US tour. He’s also never hidden his politics, as his Fourth of July comments made clear. But a political rally on a farm is a different animal from a Kid Rock concert. The headliner on the poster isn’t what sells the VIP tier.
My Take: The Math Was Always Going To Break
Forget the politics. This is a festival economics story, and the numbers were never going to work.
A free gate with the whole bill resting on 100 people spending a thousand dollars each is a favor bank dressed up as a festival. It works only as long as every one of those people feels they owe you, and Deters found out on Monday exactly how many did.
Rock festivals have been fighting over money for decades. Sharon Osbourne has been open that rising fees are what finally stopped Ozzfest. That festival had real ticket sales and real sponsors, and it still struggled. Now she’s bringing it back with Live Nation behind her. A festival survives on enough people paying for it before the gates open.
Six people did. Everyone else was expecting a free show.
TL;DR
- Patriots Day Freedom Fest, billed with Kid Rock, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Rep. James Comer, has been canceled.
- The free event depended on 100 VIP tickets at $1,000 each. Six sold.
- Organizer Eric Deters announced the cancellation in Facebook videos, saying ‘rich people, as a whole, suck.’
- Deters says he will never stage Freedom Fest again.
- Kid Rock has not commented.
FAQ
Why was Freedom Fest canceled?
Freedom Fest was canceled because only six of the 100 VIP tickets sold. The event was free to attend and relied on $1,000 VIP tickets to cover its costs, so organizer Eric Deters called it off days before it was due to run.
Was Kid Rock supposed to play Freedom Fest?
Kid Rock was listed on the promotional material for Patriots Day Freedom Fest, alongside Dog the Bounty Hunter and Rep. James Comer. He has not commented on the cancellation.
Where was Freedom Fest being held?
The event was set for Saturday, 26 September 2026 at Eric Deters’ farm in Morning View, Kentucky, in Kenton County, about 20 miles south of Cincinnati.
Will Freedom Fest come back?
No, according to its organizer. Eric Deters said he is never doing this event again.
How much were Freedom Fest VIP tickets?
VIP tickets cost $1,000 each. Deters needed 100 of them sold to pay for the event, which would have raised $100,000. He sold six.
A free festival just died because six people paid. Would you have bought a VIP ticket, or does a free gate always doom a show like this? Tell us in the comments. Follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
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