The Isla Vista Community Services District hosted a town hall on Jan. 20 for community members to ask questions and provide input on their upcoming alternative event to Deltopia, Isla Vista’s yearly unsanctioned street festival. 

Around seven to 10 people attended the town hall, where IVCSD representatives shared current plans for the event and took questions from community members. Bryce Hutchins / Daily Nexus

On Jan. 13, the Santa Barbara County (SBC) Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a 72-hour noise ordinance on Deltopia weekend in April, proposed by Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP). Before the vote, IVFP amended the ordinance to allow for a local governing body like the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) to host a permitted community event.

Around seven to 10 people attended the town hall where IVCSD Community Programs and Engagement Director Myah Mashhadialireza and General Manager Jonathan Abboud shared current plans for the event and took questions from community members. They began by going over the background of Deltopia, the recent noise ordinance, the different governing bodies in I.V. and IVCSD’s goals for the event.

According to Mashhadialireza, the main goals of the event are to “save the music,” to keep it safe and local as well as to “take back narratives around I.V.” She also emphasized the importance of community involvement and expressed disappointment with the lack of turnout.

“We have a lot of work to do to communicate what our goals are and why it’s important that people get involved, and I think that that’s not what people are getting in the news right now,” Mashhadialireza said. “They’re just seeing a lot of red flags and ‘no’s, and I think it’s really up to us to communicate how we can show them that there’s a path forward and it’s something they can be excited about.”

IVCSD plans to further promote their event through community outreach by tabling and posting on social media. They must also submit their permit application with SBC by Feb. 4. 

The event’s budget is currently $250,000 total, with $110,000 coming from IVCSD’s existing festival budget and the remainder coming from the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB). IVCSD staff are actively looking for sponsorships but recommend increasing the festival budget by $30,000 to match ASPB’s contribution.

Currently, IVCSD plans to have three band stages, three DJ stages, a 21+ beer garden, art structures, a thrift market, an interactive art zone and a silent disco. Attendees will be able to access food, water, bathrooms and safety station tents. 

The event will involve local businesses and be centered around downtown I.V., stretching from Pardall Road to Little Acorn Park. It will be patrolled by private security rather than local law enforcement. According to Mashhadialireza, IVFP has only made a verbal promise not to police the event. 

IVCSD is also hiring eight event leads to plan, coordinate and execute entertainment zones with local businesses, performers and artists. According to Mashhadialireza, IVCSD has previously struggled to get volunteers for prior events held during Deltopia, which is in part why they have created the paid positions.

IVCSD anticipates over 10,000 local attendees for the event and plans to distribute 8,000 wristbands for I.V. residents, giving them special perks such as free food and line fast passes. Students living in campus housing are currently unable to get wristbands, but Abboud said that IVCSD is “working on that.” 

Mashhadialireza emphasized that while wristbands aren’t needed to access the event, they aim to create a distinction between locals and out-of-towners and grant locals “VIP access.”

“If you don’t have a wristband, you might not even be from here, and I think that’s also important for us as a community to start recognizing who are my neighbors and who is not a local,” Mashhadialireza said.

One attendee expressed concerns that some residents may abuse the system and obtain wristbands for non-locals. Abboud said that “there can be abuses of any system,” and that he hopes community members will act in good faith.

Mashhadialireza shared forms for people looking to get involved with the event and give feedback on event plans. She hopes that there will be more community involvement in the future.

“What should we call this new event? What elements are missing that we want to see? What does success even look like for something like this?” Mashhadialireza asked. “That is what we want to collect, that when we move forward, we move together, we move forward together, and not as much as separate entities trying to figure that out on our own.” 

Multiple attendees expressed their concern that the event may go against “the spirit of Deltopia.” Mashhadialireza shared that, while planning the event, IVCSD had considered an on-campus event but chose to make it more decentralized and spread across I.V. as a means to make it more faithful to the original idea of Deltopia.

“I think the spirit of Deltopia is in the people,” Mashhadialireza said. “What hurts the spirit is not what we’re trying to do. What hurts the spirit is the ordinance that took the music away from the entire rest of the town. And I think what we’re trying to do is just give some sort of autonomy back to the students.”

A version of this article appeared on p.  of the Jan. 29, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.