Orca Network and the Langley Chamber of Commerce is hosting the annual Welcome the Whales Parade and Festival this weekend, April 10-12, featuring a special movie screening and a full schedule of activities for all ages.
The festival celebrates the return of the “Sounders,” a group of gray whales who divert from their northern migration along the Washington coast each spring to spend a few weeks feeding on the ghost shrimp that occur along Whidbey shorelines.
Currently about a dozen “Sounders” have been confirmed in North Puget Sound by Orca Network’s Whale Sighting Network and Cascadia Research Collective, including fan favorites CRC53 “Little Patch,” CRC531 “Gretchen,” and CRC2249 “Hattie.” In addition, a number of unidentified gray whales have entered inland waters, which may be an indicator of their difficulties finding food in more traditional spring and summer feeding areas in Alaskan waters.
The gray whale population as a whole declined significantly during an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) from 2019-2023. Even though the UME has been declared over, the population continues to struggle with fewer new calves being reported and many whales being seen in poor body condition. The current population is now estimated to be around 13,000, down from a peak of 27,000 in 2016, but many of the “Sounders” appear to have survived thanks to the reliable food supply they have found here.
Welcome the Whales will kick off on Friday, April 10, with a Whale and Marine Mammal Trivia Night hosted at Thirsty Crab Brewery in Clinton from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. This free, family-friendly event hosted by Tabitha Jacobs-Mangiafico supports Orca Network’s education and advocacy work.
Saturday April 11th, at 11:00 am at the Langley United Methodist Church (3rd Street and Anthes Ave), parade preparations are open to all to join in costume-making, face painting and children’s activities. The Whale and Critter Parade in downtown Langley will stage beginning at 1:15 pm at the Whidbey Center for the Arts parking lot (6th Street and Camano Ave) and begin at 2:00 pm, following Cascade Avenue and 1st Street. All are welcome to walk in the parade; no vehicles larger than golf carts are permitted.
Parade participants are encouraged to wear costumes from home or from the costume making party. A limited number of costumes are also available to check out prior to the parade from a booth in the staging area, and may be returned to Langley Whale Center afterward. The parade concludes at the Waterfront “Whale Bell” Park on First St. and will be followed immediately by a Whale Welcome Celebration featuring music, short presentations and a waterside ceremony, while watching for gray whales in Saratoga Passage.
The Langley Whale Center at 105 Anthes will be open from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday and Sunday with displays about gray whales, staffed by Orca Network and Whale Center docents.
At 11:00 am on Sunday, April 12, a special screening of the new documentary The Way of the Whale will be shown at the Clyde Theater in Langley, featuring a virtual Q&A with filmmaker Franco Campos-Lopez Benyunes afterward. The film follows the gray whale migration from San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja to the arctic, including the Sounders gray whales’ detour into Puget Sound, and explores the relationship between the whales, humans, and the changing climate. Tickets are $16, available at the door or for early purchase at https://givebutter.com/The_Way_of_the_Whale_ticket
The festival concludes on Sunday with a fundraising boat trip with Puget Sound Express, departing Langley Marina at 3:00 pm to look for gray whales (register for the trip at https://givebutter.com/welcome-the-whales-boat-trip-copy-bold7w).
