FreedomFest Gearing Up to Showcase Independent Thought and Liberty in Las Vegas

For those looking for a uniquely American way to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, as well as independent thought, FreedomFest will be held at Caesar’s Forum in Las Vegas from July 8 to July 11.

Billed as the “World’s Fair of Liberty,” FreedomFest draws 2,000 to 3,000 people annually to discuss the principles and values that organizers say have made the United States a bastion of freedom, innovation, and culture for 250 years.

According to its mission statement, FreedomFest is a place “where those who value freedom come together to learn new ideas, challenge old ones, connect, and celebrate.”

FreedomFest founder Mark Skousen said this year’s event will be the perfect place to celebrate America’s roots and develop ideas for its future.

Skousen, an economist, author, and investment expert, founded the event in 2007. He said it has grown into a global gathering of thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and advocates committed to exploring the principles of a free society.

“FreedomFest is a renaissance gathering where we discuss philosophy, history, science and technology, healthy living, geopolitics, finance and economics, and the arts—there is something for everyone,” Skousen said in an email to The Epoch Times. “No one is ever bored at FreedomFest.”

Valerie Leigh Durham, FreedomFest’s president and CEO and Skousen’s daughter, said her parents have built a great platform for those in the liberty movement to learn, share, and network with each other. She said she wants to take it to the next level by enabling them to connect with groups and resources to advance the cause of freedom.

“I’m really focused on taking that platform to the next level by bringing together dynamic groups of people focused on areas like free markets, entrepreneurship, comedy, health freedom, social reform and financial freedom,” she wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

This year’s theme is “Think Independent.” Attendees will hear from more than 250 speakers from the worlds of politics, entertainment, the arts, social commentary, and social media.

The lineup includes Emmy award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer, comedians Adam Carolla and Rob Schneider, business leader and publisher Steve Forbes, investigative journalist Nick Shirley, television host Glenn Beck, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Opening day will feature a live reading of the Declaration of Independence by actor Dean Cain. This will happen on the 250th anniversary of the first public reading of the document that put Great Britain on notice and set the colonies on the path to freedom.

An event expected to provoke serious discussion is this year’s mock trial of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE actions over the past year have drawn criticism from the left, right, and center of the political spectrum. Participants will present evidence to answer the question whether ICE has gone too far.

The FreedomFest schedule also includes the internationally recognized Anthem Film Festival, showcasing films that explore themes of liberty and individual dignity. In addition to more than 25 liberty-focused documentaries and films, the Anthem Film Festival will host panel discussions and filmmaker Q&As.

FreedomFest’s Punching Up Comedy Festival will engage in the free exchange of humor through stand-up, satire, live shows, competitions, podcasts, gameshows, and conversations with comedians and creators. Punching Up will revive the truth-telling function that comedy has had throughout human history.

“Unsafe, unsanitized, this is comedy with something to say,” the festival website states.

FreedomFest will also feature six pavilions with curated content. In the pavilions, participants will be able to hear discussion and debate and engage with speakers and one another.

The pavilions will cover free speech, financial freedom, entrepreneurship and innovation, health freedom and medical innovation, Anthem Arts, and the Bridge to Freedom student program to introduce students to the larger liberty movement.

The conference experience culminates in a gala banquet and celebration at which attendees honor achievements in the freedom movement and continue conversations sparked during the week.

“We also have major freedom organizations and think tanks come on board as sponsors and to exhibit in our ‘Trade Show for Liberty,'” Skousen said.

Organizers say they take this interdisciplinary approach because liberty is more than a political concept. Liberty comprises the freedom to think, create, innovate, and pursue personal fulfillment.

In addition to the United States, attendees from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand are expected.

“Since its founding, FreedomFest has inspired countless partnerships, business ventures, intellectual collaborations, and cultural initiatives,” an online statement from FreedomFest reads. “Attendees frequently describe the conference as transformative—an environment where conversations spark new ventures, friendships, and lifelong commitments to the principles of liberty.”

Visitors can register to attend at the FreedomFest website.

The Epoch Times is a media sponsor of FreedomFest.