Skip to content

PHOTOS: Hundreds line streets for Vaisakhi parade in Penticton

From floats to martial arts demonstrations, the parade was a colourful display of culture on Sunday

Under beautiful blue skies, hundreds lined the streets to take in the colourful Vaisakhi parade that came through South Main neighbourhoods of Penticton Sunday afternoon.

With a bit of a late start to the parade, many took in the traditional foods being offered at the Penticton Sikh Temple.

The parade got underway around 12:30 p.m and was worth the wait, starting with a large contingent of the Sikh Riders of Canada.

Martial art demonstrations showed many talents using traditional weapons before the colourful floats and tractors came through.

Bags of apples and water was being handed out to parade goers.

The Penticton Sikh Temple is the only temple in the valley to hold the Vaisakhi parade this year. The parade has not taken place since 2019 because of the pandemic.

Vaisakhi is a religious festival that is celebrated by Sikhs all over the world and is known as one of the most important events in the Sikh calendar. It signals the start of the harvest season and the creation of the Khalsa, the Sikh brotherhood.

READ MORE: Vaisakhi Parade brings colours back to Penticton May 1



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
Read more