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.

VAISAKHI PARADES IN 2023

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, neither the Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade nor the Surrey Vaisakhi Festival happened in 2020, 2021 or 2022. They are both back, however, in 2023!

The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade was on Saturday, April 15th. It was a rainy day, but that didn’t stop the celebrations. The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade takes place on the following weekend, on Saturday, April 22nd. In addition to the parade, at the event in Surrey there is also a carnival with amusement rides between April 13th and 23rd (weather permitting).

(Note: Also taking place in both Surrey and Vancouver this spring are shows with the Royal Canadian International Circus. It’s a popular circus with shows in Surrey at Guildford Town Centre, from May 4th to 7th, and then in Vancouver at Concord Pacific Place, from May 11th to 14th. It’s also in Richmond at Lansdowne Centre the following week, on May 18th to 22nd.)

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.

Vancouver and Surrey Vaisakhi Festivals

Vaisakhi Day is on April 14th in 2023. The Surrey Vaisakhi Parade takes place on Saturday, April 22nd. The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade, meanwhile, happens one week before the Surrey celebrations, so on Saturday, April 15th this year.

The two festivals are very similar and highly recommended. They are cultural events well worth checking out. The parades each attract over 200,000 people most years and feature close to two dozen parade entries which take most of the day to process from their respective parade starting points to their finishes. 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 the week or so leading up to the parade day. The carnival happens in Surrey again in 2023, from April 13th until the 23rd.

Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade

Put on by the Khalsa Diwan Society, the Vancouver Vaisakhi Festival takes place on a Saturday during the week of April 13th starting at the KDS Ross Sikh Temple at 8000 Ross Street in Vancouver.

The Vancouver event doesn’t usually take place on exactly April 13th. Normally it takes place on a Saturday close to that date. 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 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. In 2023 the Surrey event runs on Saturday, April 22nd.

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 reputably 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 – but always takes place the weekend after.

Featuring about twenty floats, the Vaisakhi Parade in Surrey begins at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar Temple, at 12885 85th Avenue. The procession starts at 9:30 am in 2023. It usually goes along 128th Street, 124th Street, 75th and 76th Avenues, and then back to the Temple. It finishes by about 4:00 pm.

In the days leading up to the parade, other festivities happen at and near the temple most years. In 2023, for example, there are carnival rides between April 13th and 23rd.

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. Public transit is recommended.

Crowds at Surrey Vaisakhi Parade — Surrey Vaisakhi Parade

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. Consequently, 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 5th or 6th 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! All are welcome.