SHERINE JOHN / DAILY NEXUS
It was an eerily quiet first Saturday of spring quarter. In past years, one could not wander Isla Vista’s streets on this day without the cacophonous noise of celebration. From the pregame stylings of artists ranging from Bad Bunny to MGMT, to the chatter of brunch and the battle cries accompanying a close game of beer pong. If you follow the noise you’ll find friends embracing, sharing sunscreen and sweat beneath the spring sun, droves of college students in festival wear parading down Del Playa Drive covered in glitter — the heart and soul of Isla Vista, bottled up and promptly shotgunned.
Soltopia — Deltopia’s new, supposedly improved and sanctioned sister, proved to be a Twilight Zone-esque version of the age-old tradition. Quiet streets led residents to the business corridor of Isla Vista, where Soltopia boasted multiple stages, long lines and a mid-size turnout. While I’d argue that the music and organization of the various stages were the best part of the festival, the various benefits that the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) and Associated Students (A.S.) boasted online were largely inaccessible. Attendees waited in hours-long, sometimes un-shaded lines for small portion sizes, and were often forced to choose between waiting for their free food or listening to the music. Various activities were also afflicted with line syndrome, from the three separate beer garden lines to the bathrooms.
This being said, we have to remember that Deltopia was also born from adaptation. When Floatopia beach parties became dangerous and environmentally unfriendly, the students took to Del Playa Drive. Soltopia may just be the next step in this evolution. Although the logistics of this year’s festival weren’t perfect, I don’t see any reason why IVCSD and A.S. wouldn’t be able to improve Soltopia for years to come. But for the time being, I’ll mourn Deltopia weekend like a long lost lover — it was good while it lasted, but forever gone.
By Lucy Dixon
Being a first-year student at UC Santa Barbara means I have heard my fair share of Deltopia stories. One of the reasons I picked UCSB was for the social life, so Deltopia was an exciting thing to look forward to — especially as it is a week before my birthday, a UCSB birthday gift you could say.
When hearing the plans for a noise ordinance, I was extremely disappointed. Determined to save the event, I went to the community meetings to show my support, but it ultimately was canceled. In my opinion, Soltopia was a good alternative — as I have nothing to compare it to. I really enjoy band shows, so having a festival-like atmosphere was enjoyable. Being with my group of friends enjoying the music and each other was great. Although, the food lines were insane and the heat did not make it better! When finally getting to the front of the line, I was shocked to see a taco with a tortilla the diameter of an orange. But I do have to say, in the end, as a first-year I’m glad to have had some sort of Deltopia.
By Carly Rattner
Honestly, Soltopia did everything I expected it to do. Are we in an age where young adults don’t have the freedom to express the fact that they are young and free in a way universally acknowledged as the best way (partying)? Yes, we very much are. However, what Soltopia showed me is that young people will do everything in their power to have community. And music is always at the center of that.
No matter if it’s Thriftopia or if it’s Deltopia or Soltopia — music will always bring people (especially young people who don’t have the nerve or the words) to say what they want, together. It is universally (and critically, legally) acknowledged as an important part of culture, in which everyone deserves to be a part of. So, whether young adults must deal with the smell of horse manure as dozens of cops patrol the same parties they attempted to get into some 20 years ago or whether they must publicly hold their festival in a “Loop” of surrounding apartment buildings and businesses, they will somehow find a way to communally listen to and enjoy music — no matter what.
By Juliana Chandler
My experience at Soltopia was primarily food-based. I was able to get a wristband the day before the event, which meant I was eligible for all of the free food that was being distributed. Unfortunately, the line to get Roger’s Tacos was extremely long; my friend and I waited an hour, but most people waited even longer. I genuinely liked the concept of getting the vendors involved in the event, but the heat combined with the long lines caused some issues. Overall, the event was a success in a vacuum, but not as a replacement for Deltopia. Deltopia had a more organic, block-party style while this event felt contrived. Overall, I think part of the reason for the noise ordinance and cancellation of Deltopia is part of an effort to distance UCSB from the “party school” moniker and promote it as a “serious” school on par with UC Berkeley. Crime is obviously an issue, but I think there was an ulterior motive here.
By Shivum Ganesh
During Soltopia, Isla Vista’s attempt at an alternative Deltopia, my peers and I felt over-policed and that the culture of our community was being stripped away from us. Many residents of Isla Vista thrive here because of its vibrant and exciting atmosphere. Without that, we find ourselves aimlessly searching for that satisfaction. The once spontaneous, community-driven celebration is now being molded into an over-policed event, with the false narrative of “keeping residents safe.” Lieutenant Joe Schmidt of Isla Vista Foot Patrol said that overtime payment for deputies has exceeded $1 million dollars since 2010. If this is true, why was Soltopia as heavily policed as Deltopia is every year? If this alternative event was to make the community safer during the highly anticipated weekend, why was Trigo Road swarming with deputies from San Luis Obispo, Ventura County and Santa Barbara? The issue clearly isn’t funding; its the power the county is trying to take away from Isla Vista residents. It truly is saddening to see the culture slowly slipping away from this high-spirited, close-knit community.
by Monica Rivera
I’ll be blunt — Soltopia is a deplorable, hollow parody of what the first weekend of spring quarter used to be. This is not a pessimistic, petty complaint from a senior who wasn’t able to “party hard,” but a fervent denouncement of law enforcement’s despicable behaviors and hypocrisy. At the town hall meeting concerning Deltopia’s future in January, Isla Vista Foot Patrol Lieutenant Joe Schmidt claimed one of Deltopia’s greatest detriments was its excessive waste of police resources. Interestingly, my friends and I commented that we had never seen this many officers in I.V. However, Saturday exposed more than the dismal reality that there were still excessive law enforcement personnel present at Soltopia — the cherished tradition of Gauchos for generations has been perverted into a pathetic, commercialized money grab to benefit a community that we aren’t even granted representation in.
While I of course enjoyed the time spent with my friends, Soltopia’s events were a weak consolation for the police state we were subjected to. Lines were outrageously long, free incentives quickly depleted — at the beer garden I was told they ran out of beer, and complementary bagels from Yetz’s or IV Bagel Cafe were a fool’s errand. Street closures prevented residents from parking (let alone entering) their own homes. Moreover, watching officers stroll languorously through desolate roads and enjoying a paid day of applying sunscreen and indulging in refreshments was infuriating. Paramountly, however, I was consumed by a totalitizing melancholy; I reminisced on Deltopia’s glory and fun in my past three years and felt sorrow for the underclassmen and incoming freshman who won’t experience its unforgettable splendor.
Ultimately, I mourn the fall of Deltopia, and hope that if it doesn’t one day return, Isla Vista’s embattled residents will vindicate themselves. Not simply as a superficial longing for a weekend of unabashed frivolity, but a hope that my neighbors and future students will regain their narrative agency.
By Ethan Griffin
The Daily Nexus Opinion Staff is apprehensive about the future of Soltopia.
