The 2026 Surrey Nagar Kirtan, also known as the Vaisakhi Parade, welcomed over 450,000 people to the Newton area on Saturday.
The event is widely considered the largest of its kind in the world.
Over 20 floats representing local Gurdwaras, Khalsa Schools, Sikh organizations and humanitarian groups were in the procession.
Vaisakhi marks the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
The Khalsa is an order Sikh’s live by, promoting the values of devotion, equality, honesty and community service.
One of the pillars of Sikhism is seva, the concept of selfless service.
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Hundreds of families and businesses demonstrated seva by serving hot free meals and refreshments known as langar along the route.
Organizer Moninder Singh says, Vaisakhi is deeply rooted within Surrey and welcomes people from across North America and the world.
“It’s a sovereign kind of space it’s where we come together to talk about faith and spirituality and community is probably the biggest pillar of that, which we see today; with the opportunity to take our language and heritage onto the streets of Surrey.”
Surrey’s Vaisakhi Parade began in 1998, initiated by Surrey’s Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar.
The first parade saw around 16,000 people attend.
Attendance levels continued to grow throughout the years with 100,000 attendees in 2007.
Vaisakhi also marks the beginning of the harvest season, making it a very joyous occasion.
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