Anthony RobledoUSA TODAY
Sept. 22, 2026Updated Sept. 23, 2026, 8:06 a.m. ET
Patriots Day Freedom Fest, a conservative festival, was cancelled days before it was set to take place in northern Kentucky and include speakers like Kid Rock.
The festival's organizer, lawyer, and political commentator Eric Deters announced the cancellation of the free event on Sept. 21 via Facebook Live, revealing that only six $1,000 VIP tickets had been purchased.
"When I put together Patriots Day Freedom Fest, I put it together with the game plan and the idea that I could pay for it with VIP sales of $1,000 from these 100 people that I interact with on a regular basis," he said on Facebook Live.
Deters, who ran as a Republican for Kentucky governor in 2023 and for the state's 4th Congressional District in 2024, criticized the lack of VIP sales, adding, "I want to tell you something, rich people, as a whole, suck."
Deters confirmed that he has no plans to revive the festival, which debuted in 2022, saying, "I am never ever, ever, ever, ever doing this event again. Ever."Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
This year's lineup was intially set to include speakers like Kid Rock, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Kentucky Republican congressional nominee Ed Gallrein, U.S. Rep. James Comer and Fox News contributor Joe Concha. Previous lineups included speakers like Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Candace Owens.
Eric Deters denies low attendance was behind festival cancellation
Deters pushed back on speculation that concerns about low attendance prompted the cancellation, sharing photos of large crowds from previous years.
"These are the crowds we have at the free Freedom Fest. VIP tickets do not have jack to do with our crowd. People were stoked to see Kid Rock," he captioned a Sept. 22 Facebook post.
He also said wealthy people who decided not to buy VIP tickets did so for financial reasons, not because they don't support President Donald Trump. He also stressed that the lack of sales wasn't because of Kid Rock, adding that the country rock musician is "a good dude.”
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"Those people that didn't buy VIP tickets, it wasn't 'cause they don't like Trump or don't support Trump. I know these people. They're all Trump supporters. The reason why, they didn't buy VIP tickets, is because they're just not very good human beings," he said in a Sept. 22 livestream. "It's got nothing to do with Trump. It's do with money. These people value money more than anything else in the world. It's sad."
Contributing: Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer