GURDWARA Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, organizer of the annual Surrey Vaisakhi Khalsa Day Parade that was scheduled for April 24, announced on Monday that it is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the community it serves and in adherence with provincial guidelines for COVID-19, has made the difficult decision to announce that the parade will not take place this year.

Last year’s parade had also been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The day-long celebration is the largest Vaisakhi Khalsa Day Parade in the world, that draws in excess of 500,000 guests across cultures and religions.

“It is clear that there is no path for an event the size and magnitude of our parade to occur safely within the next three months,” said Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar President Moninder Singh. “We will celebrate this important date in the Sikh calendar within our family groups and with special broadcast programming but will look to gather again as a community for the traditional Surrey Vaisakhi Khalsa Day Parade in 2022.”

The annual Vaisakhi Khalsa Day Parade in Surrey attracts over 500,000 people annually in a celebration of one of the most significant days in the Sikh calendar, the creation of the Khalsa in 1699. The event welcomes people of all cultures and communities who come together in this communal gathering of understanding, sharing and goodwill.

The creation of the Khalsa in 1699 by Sri Guru Gobind Singh was for the protection of the oppressed, the upliftment of the downtrodden, and the furthering of Sarbat da Bhalla (welfare of all humanity) through creating sovereign human beings that recognize that we are all connected through a greater power.

“We urge the Sikh community to take this message during the month of April and to support their local communities across the world through charity, service, and solidarity within movements where there is inequality (race, gender, etc.) as this would be the true reflection of the Khalsa in today’s world,” said the organizers.