Coast-to-Coast: A Canadian Diwali Road Trip

A Diwali road trip across Canada is not just about moving through geography; it is about tracing stories of migration, resilience, and celebration.

From the coastal rains of British Columbia to the crisp chill of the prairies and the golden autumn skies of Ontario, each stop reveals how South Asian communities have lit up the Canadian landscape for more than a century.  

Stop 1:  

Vancouver & Surrey, British Columbia 

Where History Meets the Coast 

British Columbia holds some of the earliest Sikh landmarks in Canada. The first gurdwara was built in Golden in 1905, followed by Abbotsford’s gurdwara in 1911, now North America’s oldest surviving gurdwara and a National Historic Site. A few years later, the Paldi gurdwara rose in the mill town of Paldi, a rare multicultural settlement of its time, symbolizing both resilience and welcome. Vancouver also bore witness to the Komagata Maru incident of 1914, when a ship of South Asian passengers was denied entry, underscoring the struggle for belonging. 

Over time, that struggle gave way to cultural vibrancy. Vancouver’s Punjabi Market, founded in 1970 as North America’s first South Asian district, still glimmers with saris and sweets during Diwali. In Surrey, the Payal Business Centre buzzes with families shopping for gold bangles and mithai as fireworks crackle overhead and lines spill onto the sidewalks. Even the autumn rains add to the glow, lanterns and diyas shimmering across wet pavement, a West Coast Diwali framed by drizzle and resilience. 

Stop 2: 

Calgary & Edmonton, Alberta 

Lights Across the Prairies 

The prairies first drew South Asian workers in the early 1900s, many working along railway lines or in mills and farms. Over decades, these communities built cornerstones of faith: Calgary’s Dashmesh Culture Centre, established in 1984 and now one of the largest gurdwaras in North America, and Edmonton’s Nanaksar Gurdwara, a place of gathering and spiritual strength. 

Diwali here feels as wide as the prairie skies. Strings of lights glow against October’s chill while fireworks crackle across the horizon. Inside, families gather for Lakshmi Puja, kitchens fill with pakoras and laddoos, and dhol beats carry through community halls. The cold makes every diya and sparkler shine brighter—a testament to warmth pushing back against the prairie wind. 

Stop 3:  

Toronto & Brampton, Ontario 

A Festival City 

Ontario carries milestones of commerce, visibility, and scale. In the 1970s, Gerrard India Bazaar emerged as one of the oldest South Asian marketplaces in North America, and it still draws Diwali crowds to glowing shopfronts and sweet stalls. In Brampton, sometimes called the Punjabi capital of Canada, the Ontario Khalsa Darbar anchors one of the largest Sikh congregations outside India. Today, the Greater Toronto Area transforms into one of the most vibrant Diwali regions in the country, where plazas blaze with light and entire neighborhoods join in the festival. 

Here, the October air is crisp, creating the perfect backdrop for street festivals and late-night gatherings. Neon signs mingle with flickering diyas, shop windows overflow with rasgullas and thalis, and Brampton temples echo with devotional music as families pour in to celebrate. The energy of Ontario’s Diwali is unmistakable: festive, multicultural, and embedded in the mainstream rhythm of Canada’s largest city. 

Celebration in Every Mile 

Each stop on Canada’s Diwali road trip adds its own burst of light and color. That said, each city’s people form a shared narrative of joy and endurance. Together, the celebrations tell a larger story: of South Asian communities who carried their traditions across oceans, planted them in Canadian soil, and lit them up for all to share.  

While this road trip touches only a few provinces, Diwali is celebrated in countless other corners of Canada, too—sometimes with grand fireworks, sometimes with quiet prayers at home, sometimes through community fairs or classroom lessons.

Beyond Hindu and Sikh traditions, Jains and Buddhists also bring their own meanings to the festival, reminding us there is no single way to mark the season of light. The road itself becomes illuminated, not just by fireworks or candles, but by the enduring presence of South Asian heritage woven into Canada’s fabric.