SURREY – In what has become North America’s biggest Khalsa Day Parade – the Surrey Nagar Kirtan celebrating the birth of the Sikh religion attracted about 200,000 people to the streets of Surrey on Saturday.
The event, one of the largest in the world outside of India, is a free family-oriented celebration to mark one of the most important religious days of the Sikh faith. In spite of that, Surrey’s Vaisakhi parade, which features free food, entertainment and floats, is enjoyed by people of many cultures and religions.
“This event has been held in the streets of the community for the past 12 years and we’re proud that so many people came out to this unique celebration of the harvest and the New Year, marking the anniversary of the Khalsa in 1699,” said Moninder Bual, spokesperson for the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar Temple, which organizes the parade. “We would like to thank everyone who came out and celebrated in such a positive way.”
The Surrey RCMP reported that there were 20 medical calls and 26 missing people – all of whom were located.
