With dump trucks blocking intersections and barriers lining the streets, security was visibly tighter as hundreds of thousands gathered for Vancouver’s annual Vaisakhi Parade on Saturday. 

Vaisakhi marks the first harvest and the coming of a new year, according to the organizer Vancouver Khalsa Diwan Society.

For Sikhs, it also marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the Sikh faith its final form.

“The parade brings people together, Canadians together,” said Jagdeep Sanghera, the society’s vice-president. “We’ve been doing this for the last 47 years.”

This time around though, some things have changed, he added. 

The parade unfolded under tight safety measures, including heavy vehicle barriers, road closures and a large police deployment.

It comes nearly a year after a car-ramming attack at the Filipino Lapu-Lapu Day festival on April 26, 2025, that killed 11 people and injured dozens. The tragedy prompted cities across B.C. to reassess safety at large public events.

“We’ve been planning in the background for the last six months with the park board, police and the city,” said Sanghera.

Organizers also shortened the route to about five kilometres and removed the busy Marine Drive stretch to reduce risk and avoid traffic disruption at the busy artery — a decision Sanghera says was driven by both safety concerns and cost.

“Marine Drive was going to be more costly with concrete barriers being put in the middle of the road,” he said.

Despite a change in the route, there’s extra costs due to the added safety measures required and part of those costs will be paid for by the city, which Sanghera says, is contributing about $45,000.

The parade kicked off at the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurudwara on Ross Street, weaving its way through the heart of the Punjabi Market district along the shortened route in South Vancouver secured by dump trucks, vehicle barriers and a strong police presence.

For many attendees, the added precautions were noticeable but reassuring.

“I feel better about the security here,” said Bikramdeep Singh, who travelled from New Westminster with his family. “The more measures you take, the better it is. And honestly, the new route worked well traffic-wise too.”

Others said the core spirit of the event remained unchanged.

“What we are doing here is called sewa [service], we are feeding people,” said Vancouver resident Harj Sanghera, whose family prepared food for attendees and offered them up for free. 

“All my aunts are here, they started prepping yesterday at the Ross street temple, we rented tents, everybody in the family donated and they’re able to do this service, serve all this food.”

Along the route, crowds were met with colourful floats playing hymns, energetic dancers, and free meals from dozens of volunteer-run food stalls — a tradition rooted in the Sikh practice of langar, or communal kitchen.

The parade is one of the largest of its kind in Canada, typically drawing up to 300,000 people.

The City of Vancouver issued several traffic advisories for the day, with road closures from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the South Vancouver area while also encouraging attendees to walk, cycle or take transit.

“Everybody’s mindful of safety,” said Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry, who attended the event and only had good things to say about the vegetarian meals at the langar. “But folks are having a wonderful time … the idea of service is what resonates.”

An even larger Vaisakhi parade, one that has previously been called the biggest in the world, takes place in Surrey next Saturday.