The UCSB campus and Isla Vista beaches will close this Saturday and Sunday in preparation for the highly anticipated street party Deltopia. Five years ago, authorities decided to close the beaches the first weekend in April after the infamous “Floatopia”— in which thousands flocked to the beaches with rafts and booze on the first Saturday of spring quarter — became too rowdy and unsanitary. In response, social media advocates created a street version of the beach bash. Some parking lots — labeled by Transportation and Parking Services Signs — will also be closed from Friday to Sunday evening.
“The ‘Floatopia’ event in 2009 failed to provide for the appropriate health, safety, or well-being provisions necessary for a large scale public event, to include sanitation or refuse collections,” said Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher in an email to the campus community. “Because of safety and health concerns, the University of California, Santa Barbara Police Department will be enforcing the campus beach closure and TPS will be enforcing the parking restrictions.”