Authorities say arrests at Santa Barbara’s annual unlicensed Deltopia Street Party have more than doubled the number of arrests since 2024, bringing the fourth consecutive year of arrests.
The weekend Deltopia party, which attracts thousands of local college students to a raucous festival near the beach, has seen an increase in arrests and quotes every year since 2021, according to statistics released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
This year, 84 people have been arrested and 485 have been given citations. In 2024 there were 32 arrests and 254 quotes. The previous year there were 23 arrests and 151 quotes.
The sheriff’s office said Friday night was rather mild, but weekend activity increased on Saturday.
“Saturday saw a significant increase in both crowd size and emergency medical calls, but most of them were related to alcoholism,” the office said in a statement released Monday. “We coordinated with fires and medical teams using pre-planned rescue units to accommodate tightly packed local calls and clearing roads and to ensure quick access to ambulances. Thankfully, no deaths from cliff falls or fentanyl overdose were reported.
Last weekend, the most serious arrest came when the group stopped a group of people on Marketplace Drive on Saturday morning while heading to Deltopia. One member of the group was in possession of a loaded gun, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities also arrested six people as part of a month-long investigation into a conspiracy that violates the festival ordinance. Authorities were arrested at a home where there was a paid party sold on the ticket platform.
The sheriff’s office pointed out that no one has died this year. There were no fentanyl overdose and no cliff waterfalls.
In 2023, UC Santa Barbara junior died of a fentanyl overdose at the festival, and more than a decade ago, a student at Calpoli San Luis Obispo fell off a cliff and died.
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