Hundreds of thousands pack Surrey streets for Vaisakhi parade — the largest in Canada

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 8:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Surrey's streets came live with vibrant colours, euphony and assemblage tone connected Saturday for the city's yearly Vaisakhi Khalsa Day — an event organizers say is the largest solemnisation of its benignant successful the world. 

Vaisakhi is the yearly Sikh festival that celebrates the caller harvest. It besides marks the instauration of the bid of the Khalsa successful 1699 — a defining infinitesimal successful Sikh past that gave the religion its last form.

"The Khalsa's virtues are that it stands up for humanity, quality rights," said Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the B.C. Gurdwaras Council and the Surrey Vaisakhi parade.

"It really is inclusive of each radical from each antithetic backgrounds, genders, faiths … making an inclusive situation for everyone."

This twelvemonth marked the 27th variation of the parade successful Surrey.

Singh, who has been a portion of each 1 of them, said the solemnisation has lone continued to turn successful scale, with an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 radical attending the parade connected Saturday.

"It's been truly absorbing to acquisition starting with astir 50,000 to 60,000 radical and present [this]," helium said.

The parade began and ended astatine the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, weaving its mode done the city's streets accompanied by floats, unrecorded euphony and dozens of volunteer-run nutrient stalls. 

The way was lined with tents handing retired everything from pakoras and sugarcane foodstuff to afloat meals — portion of the Sikh contented of langar, oregon escaped communal food.

Tony Singh, proprietor of the Fruiticana market concatenation and a regular parade volunteer, said helium served much than 100,000 radical past twelvemonth alongside 5 different vendors.

"It's a large feeling. It makes my hairsbreadth basal up to spot radical retired determination … volunteering [their time] and cipher gets paid," helium said. "Everybody puts their vigor into it."

The ample turnout Saturday besides meant months of readying for the Surrey Police Service. Chief Norm Lipinski said the standard of the lawsuit has required further resources each year.

"We've been readying for this for the past 8 months," Lipinski said. "We person much than capable constabulary officers here, including from different jurisdictions, due to the fact that we inactive person to negociate the remainder of the city."

He said the temper astatine the lawsuit was "very household friendly" and that information preparations included assemblage control, aesculapian assistance and assistance locating mislaid children.

A governmental and taste gathering

Politicians from each levels of authorities were present, including Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, B.C. Premier David Eby and national NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. 

Singh said helium was honoured by the fig of radical who approached him to stock their thoughts.

"I'm ever touched by however overmuch emotion radical show, it was overwhelming," helium said. "It decidedly gives you energy."

Parade organizer Moninder Singh said Vaisakhi has agelong served arsenic a gathering constituent not conscionable for Sikhs, but for radical crossed the Lower Mainland and beyond to prosecute with each other.

This year, helium said, the parade besides carried a much sombre tone.

He said the Sikh assemblage successful the Lower Mainland was peculiarly acrophobic astir the contented of overseas interference from India, particularly aft Canadian officials said they found credible accusation suggesting the Indian authorities was progressive successful the sidesplitting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Surrey Sikh person who advocated for a Sikh homeland known arsenic Khalistan.

"This existent parade is dedicated to the representation of [Nijjar]," Singh said.

"So portion there's a festive solemnisation going on, determination are immoderate superior matters that radical are present with arsenic well."

Last weekend, Vancouver held its ain Vaisakhi parade, drafting an estimated 200,000 attendees, according to organizers.