The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and partner law enforcement agencies issued 485 citations and conducted 84 arrests related to this weekend’s Deltopia, the annual Isla Vista street party held in the community neighboring UC Santa Barbara.
Most of the incidents happened Saturday, the day of the largest crowds.
“On Friday night, the event was relatively calm, with 10 citations issued and one arrest made by the Sheriff’s Office with an additional 10 citations issued by Alcoholic Beverage Control. However, Saturday saw a significant increase in both crowd size and emergency medical calls, most of which were related to alcohol intoxication,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
By noon Saturday, there were 19 people treated for medical emergencies.
The numbers increased from last year, when local law enforcement officers arrested 23 people and issued 256 citations. In 2023, deputies made 23 arrests, and 151 citations were issued.
Five arrests this weekend were for driving under the influence, and they all involved underage drinkers, ages 18 to 20, the Sheriff’s Office said. Three of the arrests occurred at a DUI checkpoint at the intersection of Los Carneros Road and Discovery Drive in Goleta, and two more arrests were conducted by patrols.
Other weekend arrests involved a man with a loaded firearm who was on his way to the event. Deputies arrested the man at 10:54 a.m. in the 6900 block of Marketplace Drive, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Raquel Zick said.
Deputies also broke up a paid party that was violating the county festival ordinances, and arrested six people allegedly involved in the event.
The arrests were the result of a month-long investigation into the party, which had tickets sold using a ticketing platform, Zick said.
Isla Vista Foot Patrol staff noted that there were no fentanyl overdoses or cliff fall deaths reported this year.
Residents on the ocean side of Del Playa Drive helped keep people safe by not hosting parties on overloaded balconies, they said.
Spring Festival and Cleanup
Away from the parties on Del Playa Drive, the fourth annual Spring Festival drew more than 6,000 attendees, according to organizers at the Isla Vista Community Services District.
The festival was created as a fun and safe alternative to the unsanctioned Deltopia street party. The event featured live music, mocktails, and free tacos from local vendors Roger’s Tacos, Elubia’s Kitchen, Maria’s Tacos and Zocalo.
“Our event really just offers an alternative way to enjoy coming together to celebrate and listen to local bands, and there was a bunch of arts and (is a way to) just come together and enjoy the event off of Del Playa,” said Sydney Castañeda, the assistant general manager of the Isla Vista Community Services District.
Festival volunteers also offered water, electrolytes, bagels, and harm reduction supplies such as Narcan, fentanyl test strips and drink test strips.
On Sunday morning, the IVCSD, the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District and UCSB’s Environmental Affairs Board hosted the annual Deltopia Cleanup event, where volunteers spent time picking up trash left over from Saturday.
This year, volunteers collected 700 pounds, according to Castañeda.
“It’s a really good example of how the community comes together to have this big celebration, but then can also be committed to caring for their neighborhood and sustainability,” she said.
