Deltopia — the annual unsanctioned street party weekend in Isla Vista following the first week of spring quarter — will return this year at full capacity for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like previous years, the university, law enforcement and community organizations are taking several safety measures in response to previous Deltopias that resulted in unsafe situations, like the 2014 Deltopia riots. These mitigation efforts include sanctioned events that draw away from street crowds, informational workshops and county ordinances. Currently, there is only one planned road closure on the 6500 block of Trigo Road— though additional road closures may be put in place depending on how the weekend progresses.
The UC Santa Barbara Police Department and the Isla Vista Foot Patrol will be patrolling streets according to their jurisdictions. Law enforcement will also provide a virtual briefing on April 2 at 10:30 a.m. regarding their mitigation efforts and how they responded to the events of the previous night.
The local community and university are promoting their annual message of “Keep it local, keep it safe,” dissuading out-of-towners from joining the weekend festivities.
The university will place restrictions on student housing from 5 p.m. on Friday to 10 a.m. on Sunday. These restrictions include vehicle checkpoints, prohibiting parking next to student residential areas and prohibiting visitors in student residences.
I.V. beaches and the beaches on campus will be closed throughout the entire weekend. There will also be fences put up on Camino Majorca and near university student residences. The fencing this year is significantly less in comparison to previous years.
During Deltopia weekend, the county festival ordinance is in place, prohibiting loud music from being played from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. from April 1 through April 3. The Special Events in Public Right-of-Way Ordinance will also be in place, prohibiting large crowds that block streets. Violation of either of these ordinances will result in fines as large as $500. Violation of the festival ordinance might also result in a misdemeanor on the violator’s record.
The Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) — an office currently led by Shannon Sweeney — will be tabling on campus alongside other Associated Student entities to conduct outreach and discuss safety protocols ahead of Deltopia weekend. The EVPLA office will also be conducting workshops ahead of Deltopia — such as a “Know Your Rights Workshop” and an “Interpersonal Violence Prevention Training” — where students will be informed of their rights when dealing with law enforcement.
The Department of Recreation at UCSB is partnering with Life of the Party to host a “Warm Up” at the Recreation Center on April 1 from 8 p.m. to midnight. The event will include “rollerskating, DJ, movie on the big screen, Esports party games, a Super Smash Bros tournament, and free s’mores, popcorn, and pizza,” according to the Deltopia subpage of Our Isla Vista.
The Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) is also holding an alternative event to Deltopia called the Spring Festival at Isla Vista Community Center and Perfect Park on April 2 from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event will include food, water, seating and live performances from “Dead Set,” “Stolen Bikes,” “Hominid,” “Task Force Freedom” and “DJ Dongle.”
IVCSD’s safety stations will also be in operation on Saturday at Little Acorn Park from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. where students can request an escort home, grab a water bottle or charge their phones.
The Associated Students Pardall Center is creating a “chill zone” at the Pardall Center from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 2, where people can use the restrooms, grab a bottle of water and get masks. The chill zone will also provide a limited number of gift cards to the I.V. Food Co-op and UCSB Campus Bookstore.
April 2 will conclude with the annual “The Warm Up” concert organized by A.S. Program Board, featuring Flo Milli and Pi’erre Bourne. The concert will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Thunderdome. The event is only open to students, who will be required to show a green COVID-19 daily health badge and wear a mask during the event.
A student was severely injured during Deltopia and there is no follow up story? The CSD dropped $89K on a Deltopia party that nobody attended. Was the long list of “safety precautions” listed in your story effective? What worked and what didn’t? A “mass casualty incident” in Isla Vista is certainly newsworthy; indeed that story aired across the U.S. And yet there is nothing in the Nexus. The ranks of “vice chancellors” in charge of overseeing UCSB/Isla failed to curtail Deltopia but are succeeding in cutting off timely reporting–hence insulating a weak administration that bears responsibility for the weekend debacle.… Read more »