Parade Crowds on 49th Avenue

Celebrating the Punjabi New Year, the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade and Surrey Vaisakhi Parade are massive Indian and South Asian events that take place in April.

In 2024 the event in South Vancouver happens on April 13th. The festivities in Surrey, meanwhile, take place on April 20th.

This article contains the following information:

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade | Surrey Vaisakhi Parade | Punjabi Market | What is Vaisakhi Day | Other Information

Click any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn all about the Lower Mainland’s two major Vaisakhi festivals.

Crowds at Surrey Vaisakhi Parade — Surrey Vaisakhi Parade

Vancouver and Surrey Vaisakhi Festivals

This year’s Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade takes place on Saturday, April 15th. Exactly one week later (which is always the case), the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade happens on Saturday, April 22nd. Vaisakhi Day itself is on April 13th, 2024.

The two festivals are usually very similar. We recommend both of them. They are cultural events well worth checking out. The parades each attract over 200,000 people most years and feature close to 24 parade entries which take most of the day to run from their respective start to finish points. Both Vaisakhi Festivals also begin at a Sikh temple where official ceremonies take place.

The main difference between the two events, other than the fact that the Surrey parade is larger and happens a week later, is that in Surrey, in addition to the one-day parade, a carnival with rides takes place near the temple for a few days prior to the parade day. The carnival happens in Surrey again in 2024, from April 12th until the 21st.

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade

The Vancouver Vaisakhi Festival is organized by the Khalsa Diwan Society. This festival usually takes place on a Saturday during the week of April 13th starting at the KDS Ross Sikh Temple at 8000 Ross Street in Vancouver.

In 2020 it was scheduled to be on the Saturday after April 13th (so on April 18th). As mentioned above, however, it didn’t happen due to concerns about the coronavirus. The event was also cancelled in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the parade did take place, on Saturday, April 15th.

The Vancouver parade typically starts at about 11:00 am at the Ross Sikh Temple. It usually proceeds up Ross Street, along 57th Avenue, up Main Street, along 49th Avenue, down Fraser Street, back along 57th Avenue and then down Ross Street back to the temple. Everything is over by around 4:00 pm or so most years.

Click Vancouver Vaisakhi for photos and more information.

To see what a Lower Mainland Vaisakhi Parade looks like, check out the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade Video.

Vaisakhi Crowds Outside Sikh Temple — Outside the Sikh Temple in Surrey

Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade

The Surrey Vaisakhi Festival usually takes place on the Saturday after the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade. This year, the Surrey event runs on Saturday, April 20th.

The City of Surrey has a huge Indian and South Asian population. The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade attracts over 300,000 people in a typical year. It’s arguably the largest Vaisakhi parade in the world outside of India.

The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade is even bigger than the one in Vancouver most years – which is also massive. The Surrey event always takes place the weekend after the one in Vancouver.

Featuring about 20 floats, the Vaisakhi Parade in Surrey begins at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple, at 12885 85th Avenue. Last year, the procession started at 9:30 am and will likely have a similar start time in 2024. The procession usually goes along 128th Street, 124th Street, 75th and 76th Avenues, and then back to the Temple. It finishes by about 4:00 pm most years.

In the days leading up to the parade, other festivities happen at and near the temple. In 2024, for example, there are carnival rides between April 12th and 21st.

Click Surrey Vaisakhi Parade for more information.

TIP: For both the Surrey and Vancouver events don’t expect to find parking anywhere near the parade venues, unless you arrive really early, and even then you’ll find much of the greater area closed to traffic. Taking public transit to the event is a good idea.

Vancouver’s Punjabi Market

The region around Main Street and 49th Avenue in Vancouver is referred to as Punjabi Market, owing to the large number of Indian businesses in the area.

If you want to check out Punjabi Market, the day of the parade is the most interesting, and most crowded. On this day there are lots of people and things to see. With all the turbans, saris, colour and festivities, you’ll feel like you’re in the Punjab! It’s pretty amazing!

On non-festival days, Punjabi Market actually looks a lot like many regular streets in Vancouver, just with a higher concentration of South Asian stores than average. It’s not so exotic and for most people not necessarily worth taking a day trip especially out to see. So time your visit with the Vaisakhi Parade if you want to visit the place, unless you want to avoid the crowds.

At the Vaisakhi Festival and during the parade don’t be surprised to receive free food and drink from local residents and businesses – it’s a traditional part of the festivities.

Punjabi Market Street and Buildings — Punjabi Market

What is Vaisakhi Day?

Vaisakhi Day is a Sikh holy day originating in the Punjab region of Northern India and Eastern Pakistan.

Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is a festival also celebrated by Hindus as the start of the new year.

The Sikh religion originated in the 15th century and is today the fifth or sixth largest religion in the world. Vaisakhi, meanwhile, has been celebrated for millennia. It took on new meaning for Sikhs, however, around 320 years ago.

Vaisakhi is not actually the Sikh New Year, which is Chet, and which takes place a month earlier, in mid-March. Vaisakhi is also much more than just a harvest festival for the Sikh community. It’s the most important religious day in their calendar and marks the birth of the Khalsa, by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, which took place in the year 1699 AD.

The Khalsa fraternity was created by Guru Gobind Singh who was the last Sikh spiritual teacher in human form. The word Khalsa means “pure” and the order was formed to provide Sikhs with a distinct identity and encourage them to stand up together against injustice.

The custom of giving out free food originated with the first Sikh Guru who used it to break down economic and social barriers, and encourage both compassion and selfless giving within the community. This idea of a free “community kitchen” is called “Langar.”

Today Sikhs from around the world celebrate Vaisakhi with parades, the sharing of free food and other festival activities. Two of the largest Vaisakhi events on the planet, in modern times, are the ones in Vancouver and Surrey.

If you have never been to one, you should go!