Bigger crowds turned out Saturday for the annual “Deltopia” springtime street party in Isla Vista but no major problems were reported, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
At the peak, the crowd for the unsanctioned celebration — focused mainly on blufftop Del Playa Drive — totaled 12,000 to 15,000 people, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
That compared to about 10,000 people who turned out for the event last year, she said.
“The beautiful weather, we believe, brought more people out this year,” Hoover said.
She said sheriff’s deputies and UC Santa Barbara police officers had to break up about 10 large parties, “but everyone was cooperative and respectful to law enforcement.”
Some two dozen people were arrested and taken to County Jail for various offenses, all alcohol-related, Hoover said.
At least 16 people were transported to local hospitals, primarily for alcohol overdoses, she added.
At about 6:45 p.m., a woman who was involved in an altercation fell off the cliffs in the 6800 block of Del Playa Drive, but her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Hoover said.
The crowds on the street began to thin out at about 5:30 or 6 p.m., as many revelers headed to the Thunderdome on the UCSB campus for the 7:30 p.m. concert for students only featuring TroyBoi and other acts.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.