Nearly a week after Wicked Oaks made its debut in Austin, the festival’s organizers are confronting the aftermath of an event plagued by severe weather and a tragic post-festival accident.
In a statement released Thursday, Disco Presents sought to clarify circulating rumors, lay out their safety response and outline steps being taken for refunds and reimbursements.
Held October 25-26 at the Carson Creek Ranch outside Austin, Wicked Oaks united several of Disco’s flagship event brands into one EDM festival. The lineup, featuring marquee names from Martin Garrix to Flux Pavilion, promised a massive debut for what was slated to become a new Halloween tradition in the live music capital. But an onslaught of severe weather throughout the weekend left thousands of attendees navigating delayed entry, muddy campgrounds and a site-wide evacuation on Saturday night.
By Sunday, however, Wicked Oaks managed to bounce back as Disco organized last-minute shuttle service from Circuit of the Americas, compensating for unusable parking lots. Improved conditions also allowed the event to proceed as planned.
The company’s statement also acknowledged the death of an attendee, Anthony Pike, following an offsite vehicular accident in Bastrop, Texas as fans were traveling home from the festival. A friend of the victim launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with the medical bills of a severely injured passenger in the wake of the collision, which she claims was caused by a drunk driver.
“It is our current understanding that a truck ran a red light and caused the wreck,” the statement reads. With the family’s permission, we can share that the individual who passed away was Anthony Pike. Details of Anthony’s Celebration of Life event in Dallas will be shared soon. Our community is small, and losses like this are felt deeply. We are profoundly saddened by this tragedy and extend our heartfelt condolences to Anthony’s family, friends, and all who are affected.”
“Austin-Travis County EMS has advised they are not aware of any deaths or critical patients among those transported from the festival,” Disco added, noting that a total of seven individuals were transported to hospitals over the weekend, with EMS and licensed medical teams stationed onsite throughout.
The company laid out a detailed refund and reimbursement plan, including full refunds for Saturday single-day ticket-holders and 50% refunds for weekend ticket-holders and certain parking passes. Guests impacted by the disrupted Friday camping schedule were also offered a path to recoup hotel costs. While organizers said they are working across multiple ticketing platforms, some of which involve payment plans, they emphasized a commitment to resolving the process quickly.
You can read the full statement below and find more information on the Wicked Oaks website.
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