Thousands of people took to the streets during the annual Southall Nagar Kirtan on Sunday (October 29) to celebrate the birthday of Guru Nanak.

The event began at Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Havelock Road and included speeches by Ealing Southall MP Virendra Sharma and London Assembly member Dr Onkar Sahota.

Following this, the colourful procession set off along King Street at around 12.30pm and made its way along The Green, South Road, High Street and Green Drive towards Park Avenue Gurdwara.

Thousands attended or joined the parade through the town, which was led by young Sikhs showing off martial arts and other skills accompanied by drummers.

The procession, which celebrates the Parkash Ustav (birthday) of the founder of Sikhism, was also fronted by the “Panj Pyare” - meaning five beloved ones – in their traditional attire.

This was followed by the main float, which carried the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, as the crowds moved forward to pay their respects.

The procession route was covered with food stalls serving free food, fruit and drinks from 10am to everyone.

The front of the Southall Nagar Kirtan

Arif Hussain, a spokesman for Visit Southall who attended the event on Sunday (October 29), said: “It's always a trouble-free event for all the family, all those attending are calm, considerate and in a happy mood.

“Pavements and roads from King Street to the Broadway are packed full of people – at the peak, it is impossible to move in any direction due to the sheer number of people for about four hours.”

The main float carried the Sri Guru Granth Sahib - the Sikh holy book,

Due to the size of the procession, police advised against travelling through Southall during the event.

There were road closures and diversions in place on all roads along the route, commencing after 10am, with no traffic along South Road to King Street for most of the day.

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