In January, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 72-hour noise ordinance for the weekend of Deltopia, the yearly unsanctioned street festival in Isla Vista. Since then, the Isla Vista Community Services District obtained approval for and organized a sanctioned event, Soltopia, to be held on the usual day of Deltopia, which is typically the first Saturday of Spring quarter.
The Nexus asked our readers on Instagram for their questions about this upcoming weekend and gathered information during the April 1 Deltopia Noise Ordinance Town Hall, featuring a panel including Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP) Commander Joe Schmidt, UC Santa Barbara Police Department (UCPD) Sergeant Carter Peterson and Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) General Manager Jonathan Abboud.
Shengyu Zhang/Daily Nexus
What exactly does the ordinance prohibit?
The new ordinance prohibits amplified music if it can be heard from beyond any residential or commercial property line outside of Soltopia. However, acoustic music or singing is still allowed.
Other existing ordinances and laws, such as those banning public consumption of alcohol, public urination and gatherings of more than 250 people, remain in place. IVFP has stated that they will not be issuing warnings for citations during the weekend. Additionally, all beaches in the area will be closed.
During the town hall, Schmidt said the “spirit of the law” for the ordinance will be zero-tolerance against any amplified music “that could potentially attract a crowd.”
“Is it possible that somebody who is playing music could get a ticket? Yes, that’s going to be a discretionary decision by the officers on scene,” Schmidt clarified. “This is the intent of this ordinance, and it’s really to prevent these crowds from forming, these large, dangerous parties from occurring.”
When does the noise ordinance go into effect?
The ordinance will go into effect at 12 a.m. on April 3 and end at 12 a.m. on April 6. Additionally, beach closure will be enacted during the ordinance, and all beach access points will be staffed by deputy sheriffs and barricades on Saturday. Beach closure also applies to Campus Point, according to Peterson.
Does the noise ordinance apply to on-campus housing?
No, the noise ordinance is only enforced in Isla Vista and The Cove, a neighboring community north of Isla Vista. The ordinance does not apply to any university residence halls or undergraduate apartments, including Santa Ynez and Sierra Madre, unless they are located in Isla Vista.
What will law enforcement presence be like this weekend?
IVFP has said that law enforcement presence will remain the same as last year. This included over 300 deputies from eight law enforcement agencies patrolling I.V. during the 2025 weekend. Enforcement will primarily be along Del Playa Drive and Sabado Tarde Road.
Law enforcement will only be present within the festival if deemed necessary, as IVFP’s goal is to allow the festival to operate at the “lowest level possible” before entering with support from the fire department or police. However, there will still be a police presence from the “outskirts of the festival.”
According to Schmidt, multiple law enforcement agencies from Santa Barbara County (SBC) and the neighboring San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties will be staffing officers this weekend. Additionally, Peterson stated UCPD will be pulling officers from all 10 UC campuses.
Schmidt also emphasized that, in compliance with California law and IVFP’s internal policy, they “do not participate in immigration enforcement.”
Can Deltopia be held on another weekend?
No, IVFP has stated that if people attempt to move Deltopia to another date, they will pursue an urgency ordinance allowing them to move the 72-hour noise ordinance to another date.
What is Soltopia?
Soltopia is the Isla Vista Community Services District’s (IVCSD) sanctioned event on April 4 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. It will offer attendees food, water and entertainment across multiple venues between Embarcadero del Mar and Embarcadero del Norte, as well as provide bathrooms and safety stations. The IVCSD recently released its interactive event map online.
Additionally, there will be a 21+ beer garden stocked and run by M. Special Brewery, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit organization Standing Together to End Sexual Assault.
This week, the IVCSD is distributing 8,000 wristbands at the I.V. Community Center to I.V. residents who registered online. Wristbands will give attendees special perks such as free food and the ability to skip lines to entertainment, as well as identifying wearers as locals.
Who is hosting Soltopia?
Soltopia is hosted by the IVCSD, I.V.’s local governing body, alongside UCSB Associated Students (A.S.). The event has cost a total of $280,000, with one half coming from the IVCSD’s existing festival budget, used to hold their Spring Festivals in years past, and the other half from a matching donation by A.S. Both the IVCSD and A.S. opposed the noise ordinance when it was proposed.
Can I go to Soltopia without a wristband?
Yes. Wristbands only give you access to free food and allow you to skip lines for music. People without wristbands and non-locals can still attend Soltopia.
How can I receive medical assistance this weekend?
UC Isla Vista (UCIV), a subsidiary of the A.S. Office of the External Vice President for Local Affairs, will be stationed at the Pardall Center and Del Playa Drive providing harm reduction resources such as Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, water and snacks.
Soltopia will have three medical tents throughout the festival, which can be located via their online map. The IVCSD is in collaboration with the SBC Fire Department and SBC Emergency Medical Services Agency to allow for participants to receive basic first aid at the festival and a direct line to ambulances if needed.
Additionally, Peterson and Schmidt confirmed that officers will be assisting the rescue task force along with the fire department.
Will the streets be closed?
Partly. Only the first two blocks of Pardall Road and the first block of Madrid Road will be closed to cars, while the rest of I.V. will remain open. However, expect large crowds within Soltopia.
How will law enforcement enforce a noise ordinance with a big festival happening in the middle of I.V.?
The IVCSD obtained approval for Soltopia from the SBC Board of Supervisors in March and has a verbal agreement with IVFP that they will not police the event. Instead, around 70 private security guards have been hired to patrol Soltopia.
Within the event, there will be six total “safety stations” distributing resources such as water, sunscreen, drug testing kits and more. Sheriffs, Student Safety Partners and UCIV will run the stations.
According to IVFP, they will conduct “zero tolerance” enforcement, meaning that they plan to enforce all “violations of the updated noise ordinance, alcohol offenses, and disorderly, harmful, or destructive behavior.” Additionally, the Restorative Justice program, in which certain citations may be waived after completion of classes and community service, will be suspended during the weekend.
Will citations/arrests stay on a student’s record during Deltopia weekend?
Yes, any arrests or citations made during Deltopia weekend will stay on a student’s record, as Restorative Justice is suspended during Deltopia weekend.
Schmidt said he does not have “the technical or the detailed knowledge” on how to get citations or arrests expunged from a student’s record.
Is there enhanced punishment for crimes such as minor in possession?
No, the fines and “any typical outcomes” when someone is charged will remain unchanged during Deltopia weekend. This comes in contrast to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s crackdown on St. Patrick’s Day weekends, where certain fines were doubled.
Will there be a noise ordinance next year?
According to Schmidt, there will be “no plans to remove the noise ordinance” in the coming years. He said that it will take time to “evaluate the effectiveness” of the ordinance, and that their ultimate goal is to have fewer arrests, citations and emergency attention.
“We’re going to learn a lot from this year, from Saturday, but there’s going to be no plans to reevaluate and potentially remove it,” Schmidt said. “If the noise ordinance protects people from the common harm we see during Deltopia, but also encourages a healthy response at the Soltopia Festival, it’s probably here to stay.”
