5 Celebrities That Sent Fans on Honest-to-God Treasure Hunts
Diehard fans would go to the ends of the earth for their favorite star, and some of them have had to. After all, if you had unlimited money and power, could you resist turning the public’s adoration into your own personal Rat Race? Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s lame, but it’s always a liiiittle weird.
Thom Yorke Literally Buried Coins
There’s a certain kind of person who gets very excited by the words “Radiohead alternate reality game,” so May 16, 2025 was a thrilling day for them. That’s when Thom Yorke posted on Instagram about “400 coins scattered across the world, buried in earth, stone, shadow” and directed followers to a website where they could watch a video of someone identified as the “forger” crafting and scattering coins, photos of which they could upload if found. It’s not clear what the endgame is here, but one person found a coin inside their copy of Yorke’s new album, so he probably just wants you to buy that.
Lionel Messi Fans Looked for a Golden… Sports Drink
If that’s not Wonka-like enough for you, earlier in 2025, soccer star Lionel Messi announced that 10 gold-capped bottles of his own branded sports drink, Mas+ by Messi, had been hidden all over the U.K. One of them would earn the finder an all-expense-paid trip to a Miami CF match, where he may or may not have crowned them the new owner of soccer, while the others got exclusive merch and a lifetime supply of Mas+ by Messi, which is basically just liquid vitamins, so it could be a long one.
Katy Perry Hid a New Single Inside Disco Balls
In 2017, when that was still an exciting thing to hear, Katy Perry announced that disco balls with headphones attached that would play her new single, “Chained to the Rhythm,” were hidden all over the world. It’s a pretty genius campaign — anyone who would happen upon a disco ball on the street and decide to investigate would probably be pretty happy to hear a Katy Perry song. Indeed, fans who found the ball in Leicester Square had high praise, one insisting “I definitely think it’s going to be number one.” It wasn’t.
Justin Timberlake Hid (Closely Guarded) Signed Albums
In a very obvious lie, Justin Timberlake tweeted in 2013, “It’s friday and I ain't got $h*t to do! Sooo I placed 5 signed vinyls around the country! #staytuned #finderskeepers," then posted some pretty blatant photos of the albums’ locations. When a fan immediately found one in Central Park, ABC reported that record label representatives were nearby to confirm that the fan had actually seen the tweet by asking what hashtags were used, as if they weren’t all going up on eBay anyway.
Arcade Fire Traded a Secret Show for Cereal
Prior to a 2017 concert in Dublin, Arcade Fire announced that boxes of cereal bearing the name of one of their songs had been hidden all over the city, and fans who found them would be admitted to a secret second show. They didn’t even know where until frontman Win Butler tweeted, “Thank you Dublin. Dance party at Whelans,” where box-holders “were treated to an acoustic session from the band followed by a DJ set” by Butler. It sure beats a keychain.
