A popular, unsanctioned spring break party known as “Deltopia” near UC Santa Barbara ended in hundreds of citations and over twice the number of arrests from last year.
This annual bluffside street party, which takes place on Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista, a community adjacent to the university, typically brings out thousands of people and regularly leads to medical calls, arrests and citations.
Officials announced Monday that over the weekend, law enforcement saw larger-than-usual crowds, issued 485 citations and made 84 arrests – not including five DUI arrests, all of which involved underage drinkers aged 18 to 20.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said, for context, that there were 256 citations and 32 arrests in 2024, and 151 citations and 23 arrests in 2023.
This year’s Deltopia event kicked off on Friday, April 4, a night which the sheriff’s office described as “relatively calm,” with a total of 20 citations and one arrest made.
“However,” the sheriff’s office detailed in a release, “Saturday saw a significant increase in both crowd size and emergency medical calls, most of which were related to alcohol intoxication.”
Officials recorded at least 19 medical emergencies before noon on Saturday.
The first two arrests on Saturday happened around 9:20 a.m. for obstruction and contributing alcohol to a minor. As of 3:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said over 60 arrests had been made.
Among the total 84 arrests made this year, the sheriff’s office noted that at least one person was arrested on firearm charges, and six were arrested as a result of a longer investigation.
The weapons violation arrest happened around 11 a.m. on Saturday when deputies approached a group of people along Marketplace Drive on their way to Deltopia. The deputies found that a member of this group was carrying a loaded gun and placed the suspect under arrest.
Nearly 20 minutes later, deputies served a warrant and arrested another six suspects that were uncovered by a month-long investigation into a conspiracy to violate the festival ordinance.
The six suspects, arrested in the 6600 block of Del Playa, allegedly sold tickets through what officials only described as a “ticketing platform” to throw a paid party, which violates county ordinance.
“Thankfully, there were no reported fatalities from cliff falls or fentanyl overdoses,” stated the sheriff’s office. The release added that there were no injuries to law enforcement officials or uses of force.
“Our team, made up of nearly 300 deputies and officers from 8 law enforcement agencies, worked tirelessly to maintain public safety and respond quickly to medical emergencies,” said Lieutenant Schmidt, manager of the Isla Vista Foot Patrol Station. “With the larger-than-usual crowds, our officers did an excellent job keeping up and ensuring the safety of the community.”
Deltopia began nearly two decades ago on the beaches of Isla Vista when it was originally referred to as “Floatopia, and partygoers would gather on the beaches and in rafts and innertubes off the coast.
However, several years later, county officials began cracking down on the event due to littering, damage to public beaches and concerns from neighbors.
The massive gathering reached its darkest point in 2014 when riots broke out, and dozens of the 20,000-plus attendees, both students and out-of-towners, were arrested or cited.
In the years since, authorities have attempted to proactively curb the number of medical calls and arrests made through parking restrictions and educational campaigns to keep the party “local.”
In the sheriff’s office release, Lieutenant Schmidt also praised the residents on the ocean side of Del Playa, saying, “We want to thank those who refrained from hosting parties on overloaded balconies. Your cooperation played a key role in keeping Isla Vista safe.”
Travis Schlepp contributed to this report.
The post Dramatic increase in arrests, citations at popular ‘Deltopia’ party in Southern California appeared first on KTLA.
