Indian life in Canada: food, festivals and entertainment

Canada is home to 3,247,980 overseas Indians. Here is where to find Indian food, festivals and entertainment there. For the Indian embassy and NRI services, see NRI services in Canada.

Where to find Indian food and shops

In Toronto, Gerrard India Bazaar on Gerrard Street East, which calls itself North America's largest main-street marketplace of South Asian goods. Brampton and Mississauga, west of Toronto, have hundreds of Indian restaurants, sweet shops and grocers. In Vancouver, the Punjabi Market runs along Main Street between East 48th and East 51st Avenues, and Surrey, south of Vancouver, has one of the largest Punjabi communities outside India. Two South Indian chains from Chennai, Saravanaa Bhavan and Sangeetha, have branches in Canada, and in Toronto Govinda's, at the Hare Krishna temple on Avenue Road, serves set meals.

Festivals and celebrations

The Vaisakhi parades in Vancouver and Surrey each April draw some of the largest crowds of any Sikh celebration outside India. Diwali, Holi, Navratri garba and Onam are celebrated by community associations across the country.

Culture and films

New Indian films in many languages open in Canadian cinemas in the same week as in India, especially around Toronto and Vancouver.

Overseas Indian figures: Ministry of External Affairs, as of January 2026.