The streets of Langley were teeming this weekend with mermaids, jellyfish, sea anemones, seals, sharks, shrimp and, of course, whales of all kinds as people in colorful costumes celebrated the return of the annual Welcome the Whales parade on Saturday.

The drizzly weather didn’t deter the crowd from marching down First and Second streets. At Seawall Park, the designated end of the free-form parade, people gathered at the water’s edge to hopefully catch a glimpse of a whale – but none showed up.

The parade, which had significantly more turnout this year, began in 2004 as a small event. It is purposefully scheduled during the time of year that a group of gray whales known as the Sounders are returning to Puget Sound and can be seen feeding on ghost shrimp around Whidbey Island.

“Welcome the Whales” is sponsored by Orca Network and the Langley Chamber of Commerce.

Live music and a waterside blessing accompanied the parade, which is known for its creative and zany costumes of marine wildlife. It was followed by an educational presentation about the Sounders, led by John Calambokidis and Alie Perez of Cascadia Research Collective.

For some people, like Clinton farmer Jake Stewart, the parade is a family affair. Stewart donned his signature ghost shrimp costume for the second year in a row and joined his daughters, 6-year-old Rainey and 8-year-old River, who both dressed up as baby seals. Stewart’s wife, Aja, was a scuba diver and wore a wetsuit covered with seaweed. Members of Sweetwater Farm’s team, or the “farm-ily,” as Stewart likes to call them, also joined in on the fun with creative costumes.

This year’s parade was streamed on the Orca Network’s Facebook page. Though Orca Network founders Susan Berta and Howard Garrett weren’t able to attend the parade on Saturday, they delighted in watching the livestreamed video, as did several other people from around the world.

Photos by David Welton There was no shortage of whale costumes at the parade, including this large and creative one of an orca.

Heather Talley helped kids make seal costumes for the parade and Sean Adair dressed as a sea anemone.

Photo by David Welton A sleepy shark takes a nap at the end of the parade.

Photo by David Welton Langley Police Chief Tavier Wasser and his 9-year-old daughter, Kira, led the parade on Saturday.