During Isla Vista’s Deltopia street party over the weekend, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and partnering agencies made 32 misdemeanor arrests and issued 256 citations. 

There were larger crowds than last year as well as more arrests and citations handed out, sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said Monday.

In comparison, 23 arrests were made and 151 citations issued during 2023’s Deltopia.

Deltopia is an annual unsanctioned street party in Isla Vista held during the first weekend of UC Santa Barbara’s spring quarter. The popular event brings out thousands of college students, residents and outside visitors.

The crowd was the largest in the early afternoon Saturday, which also had an increase in emergency medical calls — mostly for acute alcohol intoxication, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating two separate reports of rape from the weekend, according to Zick.

It was the first Deltopia since the county amended the outdoor festival and social host ordinances. The Sheriff’s Office said most residents complied with the outdoor festival ordinance, but deputies issued 13 citations for social host violations such as noise violations and partygoers on rooftops. 

One paid party was shut down, but most people were hosting smaller, free parties, according to law enforcement agencies. Paid parties were an issue during last year’s Deltopia when Poppin, a party app, sold $35 tickets to events at four Isla Vista properties. 

The Sheriff’s Office reported no cliff falls or fatal fentanyl overdoses during the Deltopia weekend. Deputies were able to stop an adult man from attempting to harm himself by running off the bluff’s edge, according to Zick.  

Fentanyl overdoses and cliff safety were big concerns for law enforcement this year after a student died of a fentanyl overdose during last year’s Deltopia. Local officials passed out free opioid-overdose reversal medication and cliff safety information in the days leading up to this year’s event.

The Sheriff’s Office said the rain and wind on Friday kept the first day of Deltopia relatively uneventful. On Saturday, however, crowds were significantly larger than in 2023.