Kentucky Freedom Fest canceled after six VIP tickets sold

Eric Deters, the organizer of Freedom Fest, canceled the Kentucky political festival scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026, after only six VIP tickets sold against a target of about 100 buyers. Deters announced the cancellation in a Facebook video on Monday, September 21, days before the event was set to take place at Morning View Farm in northern Kentucky, about 25 miles south of downtown Cincinnati. The festival's lineup was to include Kid Rock, Republican Rep. James Comer, Dog the Bounty Hunter, congressional candidate Ed Gallrein, and news contributor Joe Concha. A representative for Kid Rock did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Kid Rock has not publicly commented on the cancellation. General admission and parking were set to be free, so Deters said he depended on VIP ticket sales to cover production costs. He said he had planned to sell 1,000 VIP tickets to roughly 100 affluent acquaintances and business contacts he regularly interacts with, which would have raised about $100,000. Only six were sold, bringing in $6,000, an amount Deters said was barely enough to cover backstage catering.