As Deltopia has, in the past, attracted many people from out-of-town (out-of-towners) who disrespect the local community, the traditional approach has been to increase law enforcement during that weekend.  However, since the increased law enforcement presence increases the stress of a “traditional holiday,” this leads to rising tensions that has previously unfolded in student riots in 2014.  Thus, to de-escalate tensions between law enforcement and students while also increasing the safety of the event, the Isla Vista Community Service District (IVCSD) came up with the idea to host a music festival during the day of Deltopia (the first Saturday of April) to increase the safety of the day.  The music festival is in partnership with Lucidity LLC, a well-known event planning organization that has hosted world-renowned festivals in Santa Barbara.  Together, the two organizations hope to create an alternative space for party-goers to enjoy safer festivities, as well as access more food and water to increase the safety of students.

In response to this festival, the IVCSD and Lucidity advertised a survey known as the Reimaging Deltopia Survey to gather the thoughts of those living and working in Isla Vista (IV).  Through these results, the pulse of the community was taken.

Main Findings

• Deltopia is seen as a positive community-building event which cannot be removed from Isla Vista.
• The main improvements to Deltopia should be to better the cooperation between law enforcement students, along with increasing the organization of the event.
• A free community festival that provided musical entertainment and fun competitions was seen as a very positive addition to the event.
• The most common belief is that the festival is going to regulate or otherwise shut down Deltopia as a tradition.  This is highly opposed and requires a strong marketing campaign to inform students about the festival’s true intentions.