The Vancouver Vaisakhi celebration brought tens of thousands of British Columbians to the same temple Saturday —including B.C.’s Liberal and NDP leaders, who first crossed paths after kicking off their campaigns earlier this week.

B.C. Liberal Leader Christy Clark and B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan both attended the celebration and parade in South Vancouver, flanked by local candidates and supporters from the Sikh community.

With their branded tour buses parked across the street, both leaders and staff kept their distance from each other, but supporters wearing Liberal or NDP buttons mingled at the event.

Vaisakhi, which fell on Friday this year, marks the birth of the Khalsa – the Sikh brotherhood – and pays tribute to the start of the Punjabi harvest.

Malkiat Dhami, president of the Khalsa Diwan Society, said the event has grown beyond a celebration for B.C.’s Indo-Canadian community and said organizers are noticing more non-Indo-Canadian people revelling in its festival atmosphere and tasty food.

Dhami couldn’t confirm attendance by Saturday afternoon, but said it felt like the crowd was even bigger than the approximately 125,000-150,000 people who showed up last year. He praised the hard work of volunteers and organizers who helped the event thrive in its 39th year.

Asked whether the presence of Clark and Horgan changed the nature of this year’s celebration, Dhami said politicians always like to come, no matter what party or level of government.“Sometimes people are mistaken— they say, ‘Maybe it’s an election year,’” Dhami said.“It gives them the platform to say whatever they want to say to the congregation. They’re seeking help from the people. It’s good for them, it’s good for us.”