Annual Vaisakhi parade draws thousands to Vancouver's Punjabi Market

The streets of South Vancouver transformed into a lively, colourful celebration on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of people gathered for the city's annual Vaisakhi parade, which organizers say is one of the largest of its kind in Canada.

Vaisakhi marks the first harvest and the coming of a new year, according to the Vancouver Khalsa Diwan Society, which organizes the parade.

For Sikhs, it also marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the Sikh faith its final form.

The parade kicked off on Marine Drive at the Ross Street gurdwara, weaving its way through the heart of the Punjabi Market district at the intersection of Main Street and 49th Avenue, down Fraser Street and back to the temple. 

Along the route, crowds were met with colourful floats playing hymns, energetic dancers, and free meals from dozens of volunteer-run food stalls — a tradition rooted in the Sikh practice of langar, or communal kitchen.

"Vaisakhi is always on [April 13], but we celebrate it on Saturday," said Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary of the society.

Hundreds of volunteers helped prepare the temple before the parade, with organizers saying Saturday that an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people attended the festivities. 

Jagdeep Sanghera, vice-president of the Khalsa Diwan Society, said that there was a flag-changing ceremony on Friday ahead of the celebration.

"We welcome everybody, all political, different views," he said.

This year's festivities were marked by a wave of patriotism, as attendees proudly waved Canadian flags.

B.C. Premier David Eby joined the celebrations and praised the community's spirit of inclusion and resilience.

"The values of the Sikh religion is that we're all human, we see each other's humanity and we support each other," Eby told CBC News. "I think that's what you're seeing, patriotism as well as the value is reflected in all of us coming together."

Armor Valor Corrales, board director of Filipino B.C., who grew up in South Vancouver, says he has embraced the Vaisakhi parade as part of his own cultural fabric. 

This year, he stepped further into the spirit of the celebration by tying a turban.

"I look so handsome in the turban, but honestly, everybody looks handsome wearing this," he said.

"There's a deep connection between Punjabi and Filipino communities ... family-oriented, hardworking, we are deeply rooted with our connection with the motherland."

The City of Vancouver issued several traffic advisories for the day, with road closures from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the South Vancouver area. The city encouraged attendees to walk, bike or take transit, and reminded drivers to plan ahead and follow parking regulations.

While Vancouver's Vaisakhi parade has drawn an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people in recent years, an even larger crowd is expected for Surrey's Vaisakhi parade on April 19.