Spring comes later in the north — and so do Vaisakhi celebrations, with thousands gathering in Prince George

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 17, 2025 12:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Thousands of samosas, much than 400 pounds of potatoes and weeks of preparation: those are conscionable a fewer of the ingredients that spell into readying bluish B.C.'s largest Vaisakhi celebration.

The yearly festival marking the outpouring harvest is mostly held successful April. But successful Prince George, wherever it takes a small longer for the upwind to lukewarm up, the lawsuit is held successful May to debar snowfall connected the roads during the greeting procession, and to debar competing with larger events held successful Surrey and Vancouver, which galore section residents besides attend.

But implicit the years, the Prince George lawsuit has grown into its own, attracting radical from each crossed the portion looking to link with the Sikh community.

"It's a beautiful, colourful, spiritual experience," said Rashpal Bains of the Guru Nanak Darbar Society, who says they are expecting up to 5,000 attendees with RSVPs from radical arsenic acold distant arsenic Vancouver, Prince Rupert and the Peace River regions. 

"We are inviting the full of B.C."

For Sikhs, Vaisakhi marks the instauration of the bid of the Khalsa successful 1699 — a defining infinitesimal successful Sikh past which gave the religion its last form. But it's besides an accidental to travel together, with ample events acting arsenic opportunities for radical from antithetic communities to conscionable and celebrate.

Prince George's Sikh assemblage dates backmost decades, with immoderate aboriginal members coming to the portion much than a period ago. It grew to caller levels successful the 1960s and 70s erstwhile an influx of caller immigrants from the Punjab portion arrived successful Canada, with galore taking jobs successful the region's burgeoning lumber industry. The Guru Gobind Singh Temple Society was established successful 1974, and the city's archetypal gurdwara opened connected Christmas Day in 1978, with crushed being breached connected a 2nd in 2002.

Approximately 2,500 radical successful Prince George reported their religion arsenic Sikh successful the 2021 census, making it the largest non-Christian religion in the metropolis of astir 77,000.

But Bains says information successful the solemnisation is not limited, and this twelvemonth it was really metropolis officials who took the pb connected readying for the event, months earlier she was involved. Other assemblage groups, including the RCMP, volition beryllium taking part, and speech from food, determination volition beryllium music, dancers and a martial arts display.

"I'm truthful arrogant this lawsuit isn't astir lone the Sikh community," Bains said. "This lawsuit has go a portion of Prince George."

A procession done the metropolis is scheduled to statesman from Guru Nanak Darbar astatine 10 a.m., travelling down Ospika Boulevard and ending astatine the CN Centre/Exhibition Park tract astir noon, wherever celebrations volition past until astatine slightest 2 p.m.