The sights and sounds at the 2024 Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver

British Columbia·New

Here are some of the best pictures from the 2024 Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver, which organizers say 200,000 people attended on Saturday.

Organizers say more than 200,000 people attended the annual parade in South Vancouver’s Punjabi Market area

Thousands of people are seen marching down a street, with a turbaned man in focus at the centre of the shot.
An estimated 200,000 people attended a parade to celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in Vancouver on Saturday. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)

The annual Vaisakhi procession in Vancouver has always brought a wave of colour, vibrant music and delicious food to the streets of South Vancouver.

Organizers say more than 200,000 people attended the parade on Saturday, which started at the historic Punjabi Market area near East 49th Avenue and Main Street.

Vaisakhi is the annual spring festival celebrated by the Sikh people. It marks the coming of the new year, as well as the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the Sikh faith its final form. 

Here are some of the best pictures from the 2024 Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver.

Men wearing orange regal clothes and turbans march down a street, escorting a large parade float.
Vaisakhi celebrates the annual harvest and also marks the start of a new year in the Sikh culture. It also commemorates the founding of the order of Khalsa. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
A mother holds a small girl, both wearing elaborate clothes on a sunny day.
Organizers say 200,000 people, of all ages, attended the parade on Saturday. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
A number of people smile while seated on a parade float.
A parade float carrying holy books was a central fixture at the procession. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
A woman wearing an orange turban smiles while seated on a motorbike, while other turbaned men flank her.
The procession saw musical performances, religious offerings and free food. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
A shot of fritters being fried in a large vessel, with cooking instruments visible.
The Sikh faith has langar and seva among its central tenets — which involve giving out free food to the needy, and honouring God in the process. Here, pakoras are fried in a large vessel. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
People wearing colourful clothes are seen at a procession.
The attendance at this year’s parade was down from last year’s estimate of 300,000 people. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
People wearing colourful clothes stride towards cherry blossom trees in full bloom.
The annual parade has been a fixture in Vancouver for four decades, with roads being closed for a large part of South Vancouver as a result. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)
A turbaned man fries sweets in a large vessel, as others hand out plates.
Volunteers were awake through the night to make food for the procession. Here, a volunteer fries jalebis in a vessel. (Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/Radio-Canada)

Thousands attend Vaisakhi parade in Vancouver

18 hours ago

Duration 0:54

The sights, sounds and food of the 2024 Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade and Festival in South Vancouver on Saturday.

With files from Radio-Canada’s Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier

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Posted in CBC