Freedom Fest 2026 Cancelled After Only Six VIP Tickets Sold

Freedom Fest 2026 has been cancelled five days before it was due to take place.

Organiser Eric Deters announced the decision in a Facebook Live on Sept. 21, according to Billboard. The event had been scheduled for Sept. 26 at Deters' farm in Northern Kentucky, about 25 miles from Cincinnati.

The reason was funding. Deters makes general admission free and had planned to pay for the event by selling VIP tickets priced at $1,000 US dollars to 100 people he interacts with regularly. Only six people bought them.

Six sales left him well short of the target. Deters said the cancellation was about paying for the free event, not a lack of interest from the general public.

The 2026 bill had included Kid Rock and U.S. Rep. James Comer. Dog the Bounty Hunter was also listed alongside Kid Rock, according to Complex.

Deters said the cancellation had nothing to do with Kid Rock. He did not link the decision to any performer or guest.

Past editions had featured Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Candace Owens. The gathering was a political event, according to Cincinnati.com.

For ticket holders, the maths is stark. Six buyers at $1,000 each is $6,000. One hundred buyers would have raised $100,000.

Deters has not announced a new date.