Vaisakhi Festival 2026: a grand parade through the streets of Bobigny this weekend

Celebrated every year in April, the Vaisakhi festival, also known as Vasakhi, is returning to Bobigny in Seine-Saint-Denis on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Vaisakhi is regarded as essential in the Sikh calendar, a traditional festival that originates in Punjab, a region in the northwest of India. Traditionally tied to the harvest and the arrival of spring, it has, since 1699, also taken on a religious dimension for Sikhs. According to the cultural heritage inventory published by the Ministry of Culture, the Vaisakhi festival more precisely marks the anniversary of the founding of the “Amrit Sanskar,” i.e., the Sikh “baptism,” and of the “Khalsa,” the “Order of the Pure,” created by Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth and last Guru.

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During the famous fête de Vaisakhi, the Sikhs tend to perform various rites, such as processions known as " Nagar Kirtan ". In France, Sikhs from the diaspora publicly celebrate Vaisakhi since 1988. In Île-de-France, the first « Nagar Kirtan » took place around the Porte de Bagnolet in Paris. Today, the most important celebration takes place every year in Bobigny, in Seine-Saint-Denis. According to the Ministry of Culture, the Franco-Sikh community of Île-de-France represents between 10,000 and 15,000 people.

On April 19, 2026, the Sikhs of the Île-de-France region will gather in Bobigny for the traditional Vaisakhi parade. It will be a moment for the Sikhs to renew their religious vows and, just as importantly, to share their culture with a wider audience.

What’s on the agenda? A Nagar Kirtan parade winding its way through the streets of Bobigny all day. The procession is set to depart around 12:00 from the Gurdwara Singh Sabha temple, regarded as France’s first Sikh temple. It will then pass by the Stade Henri Wallon, with a planned stop at 14:00, continue through the town, and return to rue de la Ferme around 18:00. In addition, demonstrations of the Sikh martial art Gatka are also expected that day.