Langley was abuzz with Dionysian energy during the 14th DjangoFest Northwest this past week.

The festival, which took place Sept. 17-21, drew an estimated 3,000 people who relished in the musical artistry of Gypsy Jazz performers from around the world, including nightly shows, daily workshops and numerous impromptu jams throughout Langley.

“The feedback has been consistently ‘this was the best DjangoFest ever,’ ” said Stacie Burgua, executive director at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.

Deana Duncan, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts programming director, said that while audience members enjoyed the talents of the 14 international performers at this year’s festival, the artists themselves delighted in getting a taste of America through local beers and whiskeys as well as cheeseburgers, pizza and even a day trip to an off-island mall.

“Each night we had artists hanging around WICA till well past midnight, jamming and talking and sharing their stories,” said Duncan in an email to The Record. “They bring the heartbeat of DjangoFest Northwest to our community. Their joyful, fun-loving spirits were my favorite part of the festival this year.”

During what Kathryn Lynn Morgen, development and communications manager for WICA, referred to as the “apex” of the festival, the Langley Middle School auditorium was brimming with enthusiastic “Djangophiles” Saturday night. Following late afternoon performances by Joscho Stephan and Richard Smith and the Gonzalo Bergara Quartets, the acclaimed “band of brothers” Stochelo and Mozes Rosenberg took the stage accompanied by Florin Niculescu on violin and Simon Planting on bass.

The four world-renowned musicians had audience members tapping their toes and bobbing their heads throughout the evening, evoking standing ovations and cheers from several attendees after each masterful display of musical agility.

Stochelo Rosenberg, who learned to play guitar as a young child born in a Dutch Sinti Gypsy camp, explained to the audience that for him, like a number of other performers, English was not his native tongue; but it was abundantly clear that the communication barrier among patrons and artists was essentially nonexistent regardless of dialect or language.

During intermission, the scent of local wines provided by Whidbey Island Vineyard and Winery wafted through the halls at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts as patrons enjoyed libations and chatted with one another.

Barry and Kathryn Arnett of Vancouver, British Columbia, attended their first DjangoFest Northwest. According to Barry Arnett, the couple had noticed posters advertising the event on a recent summer vacation. He and his spouse had always been interested in Gypsy Jazz and Django Reinhardt and were “very impressed” by both the quality of the music as well as local restaurants.

A number of Langley businesses, including the tasting room for Ott and Murphy Wines by Swede Hill Cellars located on First Street, stayed open later than usual, inviting lively “Djamers” to continue playing into the night.

Bartender Bob Thurmond said the venue elected to remain open late Sunday in order to provide festival goers and musicians the chance to experience a bit of extra fun after the festival lights had dimmed. He said the tasting room attracted a large and lively Sunday-night crowd, creating a “jovial” and “party-like” atmosphere.

He added that he has attended nearly every DjangoFest Northwest, including this year’s Thursday night performance featuring the Robin Nolan Trio with Kevin Nolan and Simon Planting and the Ivan Peña Quintet featuring Ivan Peña, Jay Wilkinson, Adam Ledbetter, Zach Miller and Matt Hayes.

“I think it’s one of the finest things we do in Langley and I’m looking forward to next year,” said Thurmond.

“The festival is hard work, but the fun far outweighs the long hours and organized chaos,” said Burgua.