Here they come.

They’ll bring their guitars and their trumpets and drums, basses and mandolins. The venues will be heavy with the sound of their violins, saxophones and accordions, their cimbaloms and washboards, and the warbling of their vocal chords.

They’ll come bearing gifts of sophisticated jazz harmonies, tricky timing and the intricate guitar licks that are a homage to the two-fingered fretter and great gypsy jazz innovator, Django Reinhardt.

DjangoFest Northwest, presented by Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, returns to Langley from Wednesday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 27.

Mainlanders know to book early for DjangoFest, which began humbly with two bands and two workshops in October 2001.

Jacki Stewart, co-owner of the Country Cottage of Langley where many DjangoFest guests stay, said she remembers that first Django October well.

“It was before we bought the hotel. We were visiting Langley and DjangoFest was going on. It was nice to see so much going on in a town just after 9/11 happened,” Stewart said.

Things have changed, she said.

“Now, most of the Langley hotels are booked by January for the next DjangoFest, Stewart said.

Indeed, founder and artistic director Nick Lehr talked about how much the festival has grown since those humble beginnings.

“After 2001, we added more bands and more concerts and again had sold-out concerts and workshops. It became clear that we had a success on our hands,” Lehr said.

By 2008, DjangoFest Northwest had been joined by DjangoFest San Francisco, DjangoFest Laguna Beach, and DjangoFest Colorado.

“In ’08 we also introduced some more fine artists including Adrien Moignard, possibly the finest young guitarist on the planet, who we are looking forward to seeing in the Northwest in ’09 with his band the Zaiti Acoustic Quartet,” Lehr added.

This year, DjangoFest fans have a lot to be excited about with performances and workshops given by such luminaries as the great Romane Manetti with his son Richard Manetti, the aforementioned Zaiti Acoustic Quartet, Gonzalo Bergara and his Quartet, Stephane Wrembel and the Django Experiment, Hot Club of Detroit, Howard Alden with trumpeter Bria Skonberg, Pearl Django, Van Django, The Marc Atkinson Trio, Lache Cercel & the Roma Swing Ensemble, the familiar Whidbey favorite Billet-Deux, Hot Club Sandwich, The Djangomatics, Dennis Chang and Mango fan Django.

Stewart said she thinks DjangoFest is special because of its rarity.

“I wish more locals would get into it. People come from all over the world to come to this thing,” she said.

“I love the jamming they do in courtyards and in our gazebo here. These are some great musicians and, though some of them may not play for a living, they’re so passionate about the music and for the five days they’re here, they get to play everyday and its wonderful.”

Also wonderful is that DjangoFest has more artists and workshops this year than ever before. And that means a better chance for beginners to sign up for a lesson with these masterful musicians.

Since they are so excellent at what they do, it’s also nice to show the artists a good time while they’re here, and that means making them as comfortable as possible.

WICA’s executive director Stacie Burgua is happy to have a good portion of the center’s new expansion completed for the comfort of the artists and volunteers.

“The newly finished back of house will be a blessing for the artists,” Burgua said.

“We no longer will be feeding them in the hallway, and the new Puget Sound Energy Green Room will host its first real use as an artist support area. One of the new dressing rooms will be converted into a volunteer support area for volunteers to get a bite to eat, put their feet up and catch their breath between the shows,” she added.

Unfortunately, Burgua noted, the rehearsal hall will not be finished in time to become the vendor and concession center.

“We will still have our vendors and concessions squeezed into the lobby when the shows are at WICA, and in a designated classroom near the Langley Middle School auditorium when the shows are there. It’s cozy, but it works.”

As DjangoFest goes into its ninth year, both die-hard fans and newcomers can expect lots of light-hearted joyous music and a wave of musicians and fans who sweep through town for five days and pay their respects to the memory of Django Reinhardt.

Workshops with artists are available in either guitar or violin and take place in the mornings and afternoons. Performances are mainly in the evenings. “Djamming” — the spontaneous gathering of musicians to play — takes place in various outside locations around Langley and at the Edgecliff Restaurant.

For info about tickets and the schedule for performances and workshops for DjangoFest Northwest, or to learn more about gypsy jazz and places to stay, eat, drink and shop, call 221-8268 or check out WICA’s updated Web site by clicking here.