AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police are investigating the theft of equipment worth thousands of dollars from the Secret Disco Society, a local group known for organizing vibrant, pop-up parties throughout the city.
For four years, Secret Disco Society said they have been hosting spontaneous events, spotlighting over 100 local artists and partnering with venues to create one-of-a-kind experiences.
“That’s why we’re called Secret Disco,” said founder Tanner Friesen. “It’s kind of a secret where we’ll go next or who will be on the lineup. The community loves it because it’s an experience they can’t find anywhere else.”
On Friday, March 21, security cameras captured three masked individuals breaking into a shared storage container at Vanta, a rooftop soccer field, and stole about $16,000 worth of equipment.
According to the Austin Police Department, the suspects arrived in a dark four-door pickup truck and loaded several items in their truck before leaving the scene.
Among the stolen items were speakers, subwoofers, coolers and even a custom-branded pop-up tent.
Police said the suspects have not been identified at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.
“They took half of their event gear and half of our soccer equipment,” said Sam Clark, founder of Vanta. “Everyone says like ‘it can happen,’ but no one thinks it ever will. And the fact that it finally did, it was kind of eye opening and incredibly violating.”
Following the incident, Secret Disco Society turned to social media for help and launched a GoFundMe campaign. The response from the community was overwhelming, with 70 donations pouring in just one day, nearly meeting the goal to replace the stolen items.
“The community doesn’t want the party to stop,” said Alora Lieck of Secret Disco Society. “We’ve had so many different, other event groups or individuals, DJ’s reaching out to us to let us borrow or loan out equipment.”
Friesen expressed gratitude for the community’s support.
“We’re always trying to do something that we can give back to everybody else. And this was the first time where they actually rallied and showed their support for us,” Friesen said “And it was, it was really powerful, meant a lot to us.”
As a thank you, Secret Disco Society said they plan to organize a free pop-up show for the community instead of hosting a fundraising event. With their supporters standing by their side, they said the show will go on.
Austin police said anyone with any information on the suspects should contact APD’s Commercial Burglary Unit at APDCommercialBurglary@austintexas.gov or contact Austin Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.