Spring comes later in the north — and so do Vaisakhi celebrations, with thousands gathering in Prince George

Thousands of samosas, more than 400 pounds of potatoes and weeks of preparation: those are just a few of the ingredients that go into planning northern B.C.’s largest Vaisakhi celebration.

The annual festival marking the spring harvest is generally held in April. But in Prince George, where it takes a little longer for the weather to warm up, the event is held in May to avoid snow on the roads during the morning procession, and to avoid competing with larger events held in Surrey and Vancouver, which many local residents also attend.

But over the years, the Prince George event has grown into its own, attracting people from all across the region looking to connect with the Sikh community.

“It’s a beautiful, colourful, spiritual experience,” said Rashpal Bains of the Guru Nanak Darbar Society, who says they are expecting up to 5,000 attendees with RSVPs from people as far away as Vancouver, Prince Rupert and the Peace River regions. 

“We are inviting the whole of B.C.”

For Sikhs, Vaisakhi marks the creation of the order of the Khalsa in 1699 — a defining moment in Sikh history which gave the faith its final form. But it’s also an opportunity to come together, with large events acting as opportunities for people from different communities to meet and celebrate.

Prince George’s Sikh community dates back decades, with some early members coming to the region more than a century ago. It grew to new levels in the 1960s and 70s when an influx of new immigrants from the Punjab region arrived in Canada, with many taking jobs in the region’s burgeoning lumber industry. The Guru Gobind Singh Temple Society was established in 1974, and the city’s first gurdwara opened on Christmas Day in 1978, with ground being broken on a second in 2002.

Approximately 2,500 people in Prince George reported their religion as Sikh in the 2021 census, making it the largest non-Christian religion in the city of about 77,000.

But Bains says participation in the celebration is not limited, and this year it was actually city officials who took the lead on planning for the event, months before she was involved. Other community groups, including the RCMP, will be taking part, and aside from food, there will be music, dancers and a martial arts display.

“I’m so proud this event isn’t about only the Sikh community,” Bains said. “This event has become a part of Prince George.”

A procession through the city is scheduled to begin from Guru Nanak Darbar at 10 a.m., travelling down Ospika Boulevard and ending at the CN Centre/Exhibition Park site around noon, where celebrations will last until at least 2 p.m.