Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) hosted the third IV Food & Music Spring Festival on Saturday at the Isla Vista Community Center and Little Acorn Park.
Some 4,000 Isla Vista residents attended the free festival, which is offered as a safe alternative event to the unsanctioned street party known as Deltopia.
The Spring Festival featured six Isla Vista bands and DJs including Orange Pit, DJ Mason and Pedro, Dawn Patrol, ImKennethy, Magnetize, and Eternal Wave.
The community participated in voting for the lineup for the Spring Festival. Free tacos from local vendors included Roger’s Tacos, Elubia’s Kitchen, Maria’s Tacos, and Zocalo. The IVCSD created an interactive map with a QR code for residents to see where all the public restrooms and safety resources could be accessed on Saturday.
The Isla Vista Safety Station, staffed by Student Safety Partners (SSP), was available at Little Acorn Park Saturday afternoon. The Isla Vista Safety Station provides free services for all residents including safety escorts, water and snacks, sunscreen, cell phone charging, a safe space to rest, and to report emergencies.
Alongside the Safety Station, an EMT tent was set up that served about 50 individuals and, while contracted for the Spring Festival event, worked in partnership with local EMS providers.
Leading up to Deltopia weekend, IVCSD partnered with county Supervisor Laura Capps’ office and UCSB’s Associated Students to host a free Narcan distribution event. About 50 volunteers knocked on hundreds of doors to distribute Narcan and talk with residents about the risks and dangers associated with balcony and patio overcrowding on the bluffs.
A Party Safety For All Meeting was also held for residents to learn how to be good neighbors, allies and friends during Deltopia. The event was in partnership with Isla Vista Foot Patrol, IVCSD’s Interpersonal Violence Investigator, Life of the Party, Gauchos for Recovery, EVPLA office, and SSPs.
The IVCSD conducted community outreach via social media and door-to-door canvassing to every household to spread awareness about health and safety resources available to residents.
“Our location, being only one block from Del Playa, I believe, is crucial to continued success, and the growth of our Spring Festival attendance each year, so I want to be clear in my thankfulness for our partnership with IVRPD to help keep more Isla Vistans safe each year,” said Marcos Aguilar, IVCSD Board president.
“I also want to thank all of the volunteers for the Adopt-A-Block event on Sunday morning, seeing neighbors clean up after the fun always makes me proud to call this neighborhood home,” he said.
“This makes the vision many of us had in 2014 following the ‘Deltopia riot’ a reality, to create an organized event that promotes public safety by drawing people away from the street and private parties to have fun in a safe environment and provide resources for their health and wellbeing,” said Myah Mashhadialireza, IVCD Community Spaces program manager.
“There was also a concerning number of medical emergencies out in the rest of the community and that is something we will need to continue to work with our partners to reduce,” she said. “Our Spring Festival is a great example of how we can meet the community where they are at with public safety in mind.”