Take transit to the Vancouver Vaisakhi Festival

Take transit to the Vancouver Vaisakhi Festival

The Vaisakhi bus travelling on 49th Avenue

The annual Vaisakhi parade is nothing short of colour and festivities as the South Asian community celebrates one of the most important festivals in the Sikh calendar!

What is it: Vaisakhi is celebrated by people of Indian descent as a festival of harvest and renewal, as well as a time to meet friends and family.

  • It is also one of the holiest days in the Sikh calendar. It marks the formation of the Order of the Khalsa more than 300 years ago.
  • Metro Vancouver’s Vaisakhi celebrations are among the largest outside of India.

If you go: The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade takes place on Saturday, Apr. 13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in South Vancouver. View the parade route.

  • Attendees wear colourful, traditional clothes as they parade through the streets enjoying langar (free food) served by devotees doing volunteer service for thousands present at the parade.

How to get there: Take transit, walk or roll as there’s limited parking. Plan your transit trip using our Trip Planner at translink.ca/tripplanner.

  • 💳 Don’t have a Compass Card? Simply tap your contactless credit (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) or Interac Debit card on our Compass Card readers to pay your transit fare. This includes Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
  • 🚧 There are road closures along Main Street, Fraser Street, westbound SE Marine Drive, and 57th Avenue to accommodate the parade.
  • 🚍 3 Main / Downtown, 8 Fraser / Downtown, 49 Metrotown Stn / Dunbar Loop / UBC, and 100 Marpole Loop routes will be re-routed. Visit translink.ca/alerts for details.