Now that a 72-hour noise ordinance will be in effect for Deltopia weekend, the Isla Vista Community Services District has less than three months to plan and throw a permitted alternative event for residents.
While Santa Barbara County still has to approve the event, IVCSD hopes to move the party to the Isla Vista business center.
Myah Mashhadialireza, IVCSD’s community programs and engagement director, said the goal of the event is to have live music, keep it safe and local, and support local businesses and artists.
“We want to continue to give local bands and DJs that platform to share their talent with the community and beyond,” Mashhadialireza said. “We want to demonstrate to neighboring communities how partying and safety do not have to be mutually exclusive. We want to support our local businesses who rely on the income generated during spring quarter to carry them through the quiet summer months.”
IVCSD has two weeks before it has to submit a permit application to throw the event, and it may have to go to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for approval, depending on the size, according to Mashhadialireza.
IVCSD held a town hall on Tuesday to share plans and collaborate with community members on what they want to see at the event. However, attendance mostly consisted of local media, with a small number of community members.
While exact details have yet to be finalized, Mashhadialireza shared that they hope for the event to include three band stages, three DJ stages, a 21-or-older beer garden, art structures, a thrift market, an interactive art zone, a silent disco, free food, and bathrooms around Embarcadero Del Norte and Embarcadero Del Mar, south of Pardall Road.
One of the main reasons the noise ordinance was proposed, and approved, was to limit the large out-of-town crowds that visit Isla Vista during Deltopia.
During the event, Mashhadialireza said they plan to give Isla Vista residents wristbands that give them access to free food and priority entry at stages and other areas.
“We’re not going to close off this event to where if you don’t have a wristband you can’t come, because that will also take away money from local businesses,” Mashhadialireza said. “But if you have a wristband and you’re a local, you get that free offering and you get that VIP access, which we really want to prioritize that this is an event for locals, and we want locals to know that.”
Mashhadialireza said they are still hoping to get feedback on what to call the event, which elements are still needed and what success should look like.
Isla Vista residents can fill out a form to share their feedback here.
There are also plenty of ways for residents to get involved.
IVCSD is planning to hire eight team leads to help with planning, organizing and coordinating with local bands and businesses.
Community members can also get involved as a volunteer, band, DJ, artist or vendor. Click here for more information.
Lisa Oglesby, general manager of the Isla Vista Food Co-op, said she’s excited about IVCSD’s alternative event, as businesses rely on revenue they get during Deltopia to help sustain them during the slow summer months.
“This is a really positive step, not only for the residents to be able to have things to do that are safer, more controlled and, frankly, more interesting, but also for the business community to work hand in hand with and be able to have something to give back,” Oglesby said.
She added that the similar noise ordinances during Halloween led to residents going to another city to enjoy Halloween festivities, which means Isla Vista businesses lose out on profits.
“I think this plan shows the most promise to have a positive impact on something that, quite frankly, is going to happen somewhere anyway,” Oglesby said. “It’s either happening in our backyard or everyone leaves and goes to another university.”
The capacity for the event is nearly 10,000 people and is expected to cost about $300,000. IVCSD is using $110,000 from its own budget and $140,000 from the Associated Students Program Board for the event. Mashhadialireza said they are still raising money but will match the Associated Students funds if they don’t receive enough outside funding.
The Board of Supervisors approved the noise ordinance last week that was proposed by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The ordinance included an amendment that allowed agencies to apply for a permit to throw an event during the ordinance.
The 72-hour ordinance will go into effect the first weekend of April, the first weekend of UC Santa Barbara’s spring quarter, which is when Deltopia is typically held.
IVCSD has held a small spring festival during Deltopia since 2022, providing a place for bands to play and for partygoers to recharge and get resources.
“We’ve never tried to replace the party or the fun,” Mashhadialireza said. “We’ve always just wanted to be that support to make sure that people are doing things safely.”
Deltopia originally started as Floatopia in 2004 with residents partying at the beach, but the party moved to Del Playa Drive after the county closed beach access.
The unsanctioned street party has caused significant public safety concerns, two deaths, a balcony collapse, numerous arrests and hospitalizations, and a riot in 2014. It also has cost the Sheriff’s Office more than $400,000 just on overtime staffing since 2023.