Every April thousands of people in the city enjoy an abundance of free food, live performances, and a festive parade for Vaisakhi. In Sikh culture, it marks the end of the harvest, the beginning of the new year, and the anniversary of one of the most significant events for Sikhism, the birth of the Khalsa (the Sikh brotherhood). More than 50,000 Vancouverites attend the parade every year to enjoy food given out to them by nearly every house, tent, and store along the parade route.
Expect to see a lot of colour — most people will be dressed in traditional Indian attire.
This year’s celebration is April 12. The parade starts at 11am at the Ross Temple (8000 Ross at 64th). It moves onto southeast Marine Drive, then west onto Main Street down 49th, east onto Fraser and finishes by going south onto 57th before returning to the temple.
Do not take your vehicle; streets will be shut down.
If you miss this parade, there will also be one in Surrey that will draw nearly 200,000 people on April 19.
Enjoy foods such as:
Samosas — a fried pastry filled with spicy potatoes, onions and peas.
Pakoras — a piece of vegetable such a cauliflower or a potato, coated in seasoned batter and deep-fried.
Sholay puri — chickpeas sautéed in sauce with spices and served with a small, round, flat piece of bread made of unleavened wheat flour, deep-fried.
Saag and roti — a leaf-based dish made with a combination of spinach, broccoli and other greens and served with a chapatti (roti).
Chai tea — traditional Indian tea.
