Baisakhi signifies the beginning of a New Year for the Punjabi community. It was on this day that the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa (the Sikh brotherhood) in 1699. Sikhs therefore, celebrate this festival as a collective birthday, with joyous music and dancing.

To pay tribute on the Guru's birth anniversary, prayer meetings are organized in gurdwaras (Sikh temples) across the country. After the prayer, karah prasad is served to the congregation. The function ends with langar, the community lunch served by volunteers. The main celebration takes place in the gurdwara at Anandpur Sahib, where the order was formed. For people in villages this festival is the last opportunity for relaxing before they start the harvesting of corn.

All-night revelries, termed Baisakhi Di Raat (night of feasting) or Baisakhi Da Mela (Baisakhi Fairs) are held, where men and women dance to the rhythmic beat of drums.