Vaisakhi

4th May 2008
Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, WC2N 4JJ
Telephone: 020 7983 4100
Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year and harvest festival, will be celebrated in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 4th May 2008. Last year Vaisakhi festival in London was very popular, with an estimated 30,000 people attending during the day.

On this day in 1699, Sikhism was born as a collective faith. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, initiated the Sikhs as the Khalsa or the pure and sincere. He bound the Sikhs to a strict code of conduct, with uncut hair, beard and turban, gave the Sikhs a distinct identity.

Vaisakhi, the Sikh's holiest day of the calendar celebrated by continuous reading of the Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, over a period of 3 days. Recitation of Shabad Kirtan (religious hymns) will be performed by groups from London Gudwaras (Sikh temples). The service ends with a final prayer, messages for peace and well being of the whole of humanity, and the serving of sacramental food.

The message of Vaisakhi has particular relevance today in multicultural and multifaith Britain. Vaisakhi promotes friendship and mutual respect a message that has particular relevance to London, the most diverse city in the world. This is consistent with the command of Guru Gobind Singh Ji: "Consider the whole of humanity as one, we are all children of the One God."

This year's Vaisakhi in London festival will include a focus on the contribution made by Sikh women to the community. The event will also feature traditional Sikh music, dance, DJs from Sunrise Radio to enjoy on the big stage in Trafalgar Square. All Londoners and visitors to the capital are made very welcome at this entertaining festival.

All Londoners were invited to join the Vaisakhi in London Committee in Trafalgar Square on Sunday 4th May 2008 for the annual celebration of Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year Festival.

Visiting Vaisakhi celebration in London:

Cost: Free

Nearest Underground Stations:
Charing Cross Tube (2 minutes)
Leicester Square Tube (4 minutes)


Forthcoming May Events in London

Celine Dion - 8th May '08

Royal Windsor Horse Show - 8th to 11th May '08

Backstreet Boys - 14th May '08

Jack the Ripper and the East End - 15th May to 2nd November '08

HRH The Prince of Wales: Sixtieth Birthday Exhibition - 16th May '08 to 22nd February '09