THOUSANDS of Sikhs brought Southampton city centre to a colourful standstill as they celebrated the festival of Vaisakhi.

The traditional procession welcomed in the Sikh New Year and began with the raising of the Nishan Sahib (Sikh Holy Flag) at the Civic Centre to mark the festival's 20th birthday in the city.

The Nagar Kirtan (the procession) started and ended at the Gurdwara Tegh Bahadur Sahib with a colourful crowd of people singing and banging Indian drums (known as dhol) as they made their way along the city's streets.

Yesterday's celebrations were organised by the Council of Southampton Gurdwara's in partnership with the Sikh community of Southampton to mark the 309th anniversary of the festival.