A COLOURFUL procession lined the streets of Reading for the Vaisakhi celebrations.

The annual festival is the most important day (May 5) in the Sikh calendar.

Floats and music kept the hundreds of visitors entertained throughout the afternoon.

There was a celebratory atmosphere, despite the cold weather, with special guests also in attendance, including Alok Sharma MP.

The wider community was invited to watch as the colourful spectacular marked the birth of the Khalsa brotherhood.

The event is held to celebrate the formation of Sikhism in 1699.

Picture credit: Richard McKenzie.