A Kentucky political festival built around a lineup featuring Kid Rock and Dog the Bounty Hunter has been called off just days before it was set to take place, after organizer Eric Deters revealed that only six people had bought VIP tickets. The event, Patriot’s Day Freedom Fest, had been scheduled for this Saturday, September 26, and was meant to be free to the public.
Deters had planned to bankroll the free general-admission event by selling 100 VIP tickets at $1,000 apiece, according to Cleveland.com. Instead, just six of those VIP packages sold, a shortfall Deters cited as the reason the Kentucky function would no longer go on, as Entertainment Weekly reported. How many free general-admission tickets had actually been claimed for the event remains unclear, per the same outlet's reporting.
Those VIP packages weren't just a premium seat. They included an exclusive hospitality tent, meet-and-greet opportunities and a premium viewing area, benefits that evidently weren't enough to move a hundred buyers at four figures each.
A Star-Studded Lineup Left Without a Stage
The scheduled roster for Patriot's Day Freedom Fest was a mash-up of celebrity and political star power. Alongside Kid Rock and Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, organizers had lined up Fox News personality Joe Concha, the same EW report noted. Rounding out the bill were Kentucky Rep. James Comer, Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein, and Jackie Kallen, known as the “First Lady of Boxing.”
The event had been slated to run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and wrap with a fireworks show, with free parking provided to all attendees. Organizers had encouraged people to bring their own food, drinks, chairs and blankets, rather than plan for concessions on-site.
Kid Rock's involvement, it turns out, was a late and limited addition. A representative for the musician said he had been added to the event just five days before it was scrapped, and that he was booked only to speak, not perform, with no other ties to the festival, per the same account relayed by EW.
Deters Says His Own Finances, Not Kid Rock, Sank the Event
Deters, a former attorney who ran as a Republican candidate for Kentucky governor in 2023, was explicit that the cancellation had absolutely nothing to do with Kid Rock. Instead, he pointed to his own financial obligations, telling reporters those other commitments prevented him from personally footing the bill, according to Mediaite.
Deters, who has called the festival the best MAGA event, pushed back on any suggestion the low sales amounted to a failure, insisting that MAGA supporters always support and attend the event. Still, he told reporters he won't be the one organizing it again. “I'm never gonna do this event. Somebody else can do such an event,” Deters said, according to Newsweek.
From Farm Gathering to Thousands of Attendees
Deters started Freedom Fest back in 2022, according to reporting from Thewrap.com. The event skipped 2023 entirely before returning in 2024, and it has since drawn crowds of thousands to Deters' Morning View farm in northern Kentucky, per Newsweek's reporting. That track record makes this year's outcome, a canceled event after just six VIP sales, a sharp reversal from the festival's recent momentum.
News of the cancellation also circulated on social media, where commentary highlighted just how top-heavy the planned lineup had been for a gathering that ultimately couldn't sell out its VIP tier. One Threads post from @ronaldfilipkowski noted the bill included Kid Rock, Dog the Bounty Hunter and James Comer alongside Joe Concha, with VIP tickets priced at $1,000. Whether anyone else steps in to revive Freedom Fest in the future is, for now, an open question Deters himself has left unanswered.
