FreedomFest 2020 Forced to Cancel

FreedomFest has canceled its 2020 conference which was to be held  July 14 - 17, 2021at the Paris Resort in Las Vegas.

That is the state of Nevada has determined that people of their own free will are not allowed together to attend the event.

It should be noted this is the case despite marauding bans of BLM protesters ignoring such bans across the country without consequence.

The FreedomFest organizers have issued the following statement.

Dear Friend of FreedomFest,

It is with the deepest sadness, regret and outrage that we must announce that the state of Nevada is forcing us to cancel FreedomFest 2020. For months, we have wrangled with changing regulations, edicts, mandates, requirements and restrictions coming from local, state and federal authorities, all in a valiant effort to stand up for our freedoms and fight back against the rampant authoritarianism that has ballooned in our country and around the world since March. Every step along the way we adjusted, adapted, innovated and pushed back. There was not a single aspect of the conference planning process that was not affected by the pandemic and Covid-19 lockdown by the government. At every step of the way, we persevered and we kept making it happen. Until last Monday night, June 29th, when Gov Sisolak (D-NV) announced that Phase 2 would be extended through the end of July in Las Vegas. This edict effectively outlaws all gatherings over 49 people, which prevents a conference such as FreedomFest from going forward. We immediately went to the commissioners to request a special exception - demonstrating how we had implemented distancing and cleanliness and major adjustments to everything we were doing to make this a safe event in terms of the spread of the virus. The commissioners were completely unyielding, devoted to their absolute control over the health and livelihood of everyone in the state. If this was our own property, we would have ignored the edict and gone ahead, but we do need to honor the wishes of our contracted partners, including Caesars Entertainment and others. Yet, given the looming labor union strikes, travel restrictions, and other even more stringent regulations on the horizon, we knew that the event we’ve worked so hard to organize, despite all odds, would be impossible to pull off in such a short remaining time frame. Our greatest disappointment is to let all of YOU down. We organize FreedomFest every year as the meeting place for everyone who loves freedom to come together. It is our passion and our mission. And to be prevented from delivering that to you this year is a massive blow to us. WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. Thank you to each and every one of you for your support of freedom. Thank you for your support of FreedomFest. Thank you for all you do to keep freedom alive today. It is clear we need it now more than ever. Moving Forward Step 1. The Emergency Meeting: The stakes have literally never been higher. Our freedoms, health and livelihoods are all in jeopardy. We want to deliver the Emergency Meeting we promised. If you would like to participate, we're asking for a small voluntary donation to help us bring this together. More details to come - watch your inbox. Step 2. The Anthem Film Festival: With 30 films selected for screening, this was our most ambitious film festival ever. We will provide you with links to some of our best films so you may watch them at home, and are organizing an online version of the film festival!  We are very proud of the agenda, sponsors and speaker lineup we put together in the midst of this unprecedented global crisis, and we were excited to share that with everyone. We know that this FreedomFest would have been different, but it also would have been wonderful. We are deeply committed to taking everything we learned this year, and making next year truly the greatest FreedomFest ever. We have already reached out to every attendee, speaker and sponsor via email to arrange for specific resolutions for this year. Even though you may not have been able to come this year, we want you to know how much you mean to us. We do what we do everyday with YOU in mind. And we hope to see you at the Emergency Meeting next week, as well as next year, July 14-17, for FreedomFest 2021. We invite you to join us. In the meantime, let’s all do whatever we can - together and individually - to keep fighting for our freedoms and rights. And watch for the FreedomFest Forum, where we will be bringing you even more significant content in the coming weeks and months.  We may have had to cede this battle, but we cannot let them win the war for our liberty! In liberty and gratitude, The Freedom Fest Team Mark Skousen, Producer Valerie Durham, Executive Director Jo Ann Skousen, Anthem Director Matt Day, Director of Programming Autumn Skousen, Director of Operations Nathan Williams, Conference Coordinator www.freedomfest.com

Note: We will keep you abreast of the Emergency Meeting. -RW