The largest Vaisakhi Parade outside of India took place Saturday in Surrey.
The warm weather helped attract a diverse crowd for one of the most important days of the year for the Sikh community, with those in attendance enjoying free food and drink in keeping with religious teachings.
With at least 250,000 people taking over several kilometres of roadway at the celebration, safety was top of mind. In light of the recent shootings between two gangs in Surrey and Delta, police say they were keeping watch.
“With the sheer crowds it’s hard for anybody to be moving,” says Sgt. Dale Carr of Surrey RCMP. “Every one of those shootings…were involved between two cars and they had to get away from the area quickly. They’re probably going to take a look at that and go that’s not going to happen here today.”
“What we find is that people come out with the right spirit and they come out here just to have fun,” says Khalsa Day Parade spokesperson Moninder Singh. “You don’t even find things like petty arguments…people just hug each other and walk away because they remember what day it is.”
Comments