Community entities have begun preparing for the 14th annual Deltopia celebration on April 5 this year, where the University of California Police Department Restorative Justice Program will be suspended like last year, alongside a larger police presence compared to Deltopia in previous years.
The Deltopia occupancy peaked at 25,000 in 2024. Daily Nexus File Photo
Deltopia is an annual unsanctioned street festival that takes place on the first weekend of spring quarter. Last year’s Deltopia saw around 25,000 people and a record number of citations and emergency medical response calls since 2014. In 2023, the Santa Barbara County (SBC) Board of Supervisors passed outdoor festival and social host ordinances, banning events with paid tickets for entry and limiting party occupancies to 250 people.
Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP) suspended the Restorative Justice Program for the weekend from Saturday at 6 a.m to 6 p.m on Sunday, a program where minor citations can be waived through community-related classes and service work. IVFP Community Resource Officer Colby Carrell said the festival is inherently “against the ethos of restorative justice” at a Deltopia workshop on Feb. 26.
Last year at an Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) meeting post-Deltopia, IVFP Commander Garrett TeSlaa said this year’s Deltopia will see a “triple” in the number of police forces and emergency medical responders due to the 15,000-person increase in attendance from the year prior.
In preparation for Deltopia, several campus and community organizations are hosting events and providing resources for people this week to ensure public safety.
Associated Students (A.S.) Commission on Student Well-Being, in partnership with the A.S. Public & Mental Health Commission and Gauchos for Recovery, are hosting Overdose Prevention Week from March 31 to April 5. They will be tabling by the Arbor from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day to provide Narcan, snacks, energy drinks and more, along with informing students on how to prevent overdoses.
IVCSD is advising Deltopia participants to utilize its Deltopia Resource Map. The map lays out where restrooms, water stations, safety stations, medical services, free food, the health and safety vending machine and closures will be located on Saturday.
SBC Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, alongside the IVCSD and A.S. Executive Vice President for Local Affairs Owen Meyers, will be hosting their 2nd annual Isla Vista Narcan Distribution event on April 2 at 4 p.m., where volunteers will distribute Narcan to all housing units in I.V. in preparation for Deltopia.
The Goleta Police Department will be holding a DUI checkpoint this Saturday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location within the City of Goleta to promote public safety and to deter “drivers from driving impaired.”
