THREE thousand people celebrating the Sikh festival Vaisakhi provided a huge splash of colour as they paraded through Glasgow.
Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike joined in to mark the historic festival, which is celebrated by Sikhs in April each year.
This year's procession began in the city's West End, at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Otago Street.
It made its way to Central Gurdwara on Berkeley Street before heading for the south side of Glasgow, the heart of the city's South Asian community.
It paused briefly at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara before going on to end at the brand-new Glasgow Gurdwara, on Albert Drive.
Gurjit Singh, a spokesman for Glasgow Gurdwara, said: "There were 3000 people there, from across Glasgow and the rest of Scotland.
"The procession was led by a large decorated float carrying the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy scriptures.
"On other floats, women sang as they made their way through the city centre.
"We had dhol drummers, the traditional Punjabi drum, and there was a free community kitchen, where the thousands of people who took part in the procession were treated to a feast as they arrived at Albert Drive."
As in previous years, the procession was made up of young and old, with special transport laid on for those who were infirm.
Also featured were an outdoor choir along with speeches and performances.
"With lots of Sikhs and non-Sikhs, it was an excellent family day out, a genuinely multicultural event," Mr Singh added.
Meanwhile Sikhs have been urged to mark their disappointment at the UK Government's position on the 1984 raid in Amritsar which left 3000 people dead by boycotting the annual Downing Street reception held for them by the Prime Minister.
After an investigation carried out by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood into any role played by the UK in the massacre, David Cameron had said there was "absolutely no evidence" of UK Government involvement in the raid on the Golden Temple complex.
But ahead of the yearly reception, the Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) is calling for Sikhs to snub this evening's event altogether to register their criticism.
The Sikh Federation (UK) wants an independent inquiry into the full extent of the UK's involvement.
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