This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
The sun and about 11,000 people turned out for the first-ever Soltopia Festival in Isla Vista on Saturday. Throngs of people meandered through the festival grounds, which spanned the Embarcadero Loop area. They gathered around stages to cheer on live bands (at least one person crowd-surfed at the Roadhouse Stage on Madrid Road), danced to deejay sets, shopped for thrifted clothes, got face paint and temporary tattoos, and waited in stretching lines for food.
The Isla Vista Community Services District organized the event on the heels of the 72-hour noise ban that effectively canceled Deltopia, the massive unsanctioned block party on Del Playa Drive. In years past, Deltopia resulted in hundreds of citations and medical calls, as well as dozens of arrests, according to data from Santa Barbara County.
Students and other community members had largely positive things to say about Soltopia…