The multi-genre Wicked Oaks festival, which held its first edition in Austin, Texas, on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 25-26), has released a statement addressing reports that multiple attendees were injured or killed during the event — and offered information on refunds for attendees impacted by the severe weather that forced temporary closures throughout the weekend.
According to festival organizers, there were no fatalities on the festival grounds, though two attendees were transported to hospitals on Saturday, while five were transported to hospitals on Sunday. “[Austin-Travis County] EMS has advised they are not aware of any deaths or critical patients among those transported from the festival,” the festival’s statement reads.
The statement goes on to note that organizers “are also aware of a tragic vehicle accident in the Bastrop area, involving individuals traveling home after the event,” that killed one person, Anthony Pike, after “a truck ran a red light and caused the wreck.”
“Our community is small, and losses like this are felt deeply,” the statement continues. “We are profoundly saddened by this tragedy and extend our heartfelt condolences to Anthony’s family, friends, and all who are affected.”
Wicked Oaks organizers also acknowledged the severe weather that impacted all three days of the festival — including a “severe storm” that struck around 10 p.m. on Saturday, prompting “a site-wide evacuation” and forcing the festival to shut down for the remainder of the evening — and offered refund and reimbursement information for impacted attendees.
The festival says it’s offering a full refund to attendees who held Saturday single-day tickets; a 50% refund to two-day ticket holders; a hotel reimbursement for campers who had to secure alternate lodging on Friday when forecasts of heavy rain and lightning delayed the opening of the festival’s campgrounds; a 50% refund for attendees who paid to park in the festival’s Enchanted Overnight Parking areas, after the festival’s parking lots were deemed “unusable” on Sunday following rainstorms; and a full refund for attendees who paid to ride festival shuttles on Saturday. All qualifying refunds will be issued to the original form of payment.
Festival organizers instruct those requesting a hotel reimbursement to email an itemized receipt to contact@wickedoaksfest.com by midnight on Friday (Oct. 31).
“We are working closely with our multiple ticket providers to finalize the refund timeline,” the festival’s statement continues. “Because many guests purchased through payment plans, the process is more complex and requires coordination across several platforms. We understand the time, money, and planning that goes into a festival weekend. We are committed to resolving this quickly and will update everyone as soon as possible.”
Performers at Wicked Oaks included Martin Garrix, Eric Prydz, Bob Moses, Kaskade, Cloonee and Nightmre.
