Isla Vista beaches closing ahead of Deltopia

ISLA VISTA, Calif. - Beaches in Isla Vista will be closed over the next two weekends ahead of Deltopia, the yearly street party in Isla Vista.

The Santa Barbara County Community Services Department made the announcement Wednesday in hopes of preventing a potential Floatopia event.

The yearly unsanctioned street party began as a beachwide event with music, party games and alcohol consumption both on the beach and in the water. In 2009, after the beaches were left heavily littered and damaged, the county opted to close the beaches to prevent future events from taking place.

"The beaches at Isla Vista were left strewn with trash and debris, including human waste. This large-scale event with thousands of participants had no provision for the health and well-being of the public, including no facilities for human sanitation or refuse collection," the county said in a news release Wednesday.

Due to beach closures, the event has shifted onto Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista and taken the form of a street party, with several houses open to visitors throughout the weekend.

In previous years, the event brought thousands of young adults to the area, many of which traveled from out of town. In recent years, the celebration is more tame, with mostly local students from UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College in attendance.

"The Floatopia event planned for April 2-4 and April 9-11, 2021 is not a sanctioned event and there are no approved permits issued," the county said.

All beaches will be closed to public entry and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office will be enforcing the closure.

The City of Goleta has already taken steps to restrict parking to nonresidents.

The beaches will be closed from Friday, April 2 through Sunday, April 4 and again the following weekend, Friday April 9 through Sunday, April 11.