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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A conservative political event set to feature Kid Rock has been canceled after organizers blamed disappointing VIP ticket sales.
Eric Deters, the organizer of Freedom Fest in Kentucky, said in a now deleted video on Facebook on Monday: "I am never ever, ever, ever, ever doing this event again."
The event, which Deters, 63, calls the "best MAGA event," has previously drawn crowds of thousands to his Morning View farm in northern Kentucky, featuring conservative speakers, live music, food, kids entertainment, fireworks.
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This year’s lineup was set to include Kid Rock, Republican Ed Gallrein, Representative James Comer and Fox News contributor Joe Concha.
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What Is Freedom Fest?
Former attorney and 2023 GOP gubernatorial candidate Eric Deters started Freedom Fest in 2022. An event staged at his Kentucky farm, the conservative gathering quickly drew national Republican figures including Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Candace Owens.
The event did not take place in 2023, but returned in 2024 and has since drawn crowds of thousands.
Why Did Freedom Fest Get Canceled?
In a fiery video on Facebook, Deters placed the blame for the cancelation firmly on one thing—lack of VIP ticket sales.
Deters said he expected around 100 affluent acquaintances and business contacts to help support the event by purchasing $1,000 VIP tickets, but learned on Monday that only six VIP tickets had been sold.
"When I put together Patriot State Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan and the idea that I could pay for it with the VIP sales of $1,000 from these hundred people that I interact with on a regular basis that have money,” Deters said.
But when he discovered how many tickets had sold, he was forced to end the event entirely.
"It's Monday morning. I got my guy who's setting up the ticket sales ... I said how many have bought a ticket? And he said, you can't make this up. Are you ready for the drum roll? Only six people had bought a VIP ticket,” he said.
Deters went on to share his upset over the lack of sales, blaming the people he expected to support him with the event.
"Out of all these people that have money that I interact with, who I do favors for all day long. They ask me for something, I never say no. I never said no to these people,” he said, vowing to cut ties with the people who he felt let him down.
“None of these people will ever, ever, ever get a favor from me again, ever. Not only will they never get a favor from me again, they do not have Bulldog immunity,” he said.
Deters Responds Online
In another video shared hours later on Facebook, Deters criticized media coverage of the cancelation. "There's even national media picking up this story as if it was a failed event for lack of support. No. The MAGA supports always support this event, always turn out. The issue was simply paying for the damn event because I make it free,” he said.
Newsweek did not receive a response from Deters when approached for comment, but in a post on his Facebook page, Deters read out a printed version of Newsweek's comment request adding that he will "not be calling."
During the video, he shared that he has tried to attract media attention to the case of wanted fugitive Abubakar Atiq Durrani but has not see any stories about it. “The national news media has not written or produced one story about [Durrani]. You can't make that up... But I cancel Patriot's Day Freedom Fest and I get contacted by national news,” Deters said.
“The only reason why they do that is they're trying to take a dig at me and other Trump supporters trying to hurt, you know, think it hurts Trump or whatever. If you're in Trump world, we're used to this."
Will Freedom Fest Return?
Deters seemed to make his feelings clear about the future of the festival, saying: **“**I'm never gonna do this event. Somebody else can do such an event."
He added that he felt relieved amid the cancelation. **“**I'm sorry for all the people that were gonna attend. But I can tell you right now, I feel great relief that I ain't gonna put this burden all by myself," he said.
Update 09/22/26 06:15 a.m. ET: This story was updated as Deters' original video was deleted on Facebook.
Update 09/22/26 09:05 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from a new video by Deters.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Emma Lee-Sang
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