Tens of thousands of people took part in a celebration of Calgary’s Sikh community on Saturday.

The Nagar Kirtan parade wound down Martindale Boulevard to the Dashmesh Culture Centre and featured an array of floats and musical acts.

“It’s for the community to come together and celebrate the birth of the Khalsa,” said Raman Seetl, participant.

Members of the general public were welcome at the event in order to build bridges between cultures in our city.

“Everyone is welcome here,” said Parmeet Singh, Dashmesh Culture Centre. “We do have a 24/7 free kitchen here where thousands of people come every day and we never have to buy the food, it’s all volunteers that made the food.”

Calgary has the third-largest Sikh population in Canada at about 55,000. About 60,000 people marched in the parade, thanks to visitors from other cities and non-Sikh participants.

The annual parade has taken place in Calgary for 19 years.