The Elephant Parade: life-size models of the baby animal to be displayed in Dubai

The open-air exhibition, dedicated to saving the Asian elephant from extinction, is coming to the Middle East for the first time

'Amulet' by Nopparuj Chenarn: "This lucky elephant is adorned by floral wreaths, various amulets and good luck charms from Thailand. May the elephant live a long and happy life!" Courtesy Elephant Parade 

'Bindi' by Catherine Knowles: "The inspiration for Bindi comes from the Asian tradition of adorning and decorating elephants with paint and jewels. Bindi is painted in purple and gold colours because elephants are such regal and proud animals."Courtesy Elephant Parade 

'Ayutthaya Silver' by Parichart Injaima: "This elephant reflects the heart of the Lanna art and its Kingdom. Expressed through precious silver materials." Courtesy Elephant Parade 

'Colour Me Beautiful' by by Diana Francis: "Colour Me Beautiful, conveys the unison of family and friends and the joy and meaning of life that these relationships bring. The strength that we get from the support of family, is conveyed in the straight lines and stripes that may contrast yet compliment. The circles are the unexpected moments and memories that we share that bring the smiles to our faces." Courtesy Elephant Parade 

'Lanna Eden' by Rattanaphol Taja: "A symbol of Buddha, this is about his elephant king's stand on lotus of the great royal parasol Eden." Courtesy Elephant Parade 

Pink (yellow, green and blue) elephants on parade! The famous Elephant Parade is coming to the Middle East for the first time, as 50 of the beautifully painted life-sized baby elephant sculptures are set to be displayed in Dubai.

The open-air exhibition is coming to Dubai Festival City Mall from Thursday, October 24 until Friday, November 29, as part of the mall's fourth annual Imagine show.

Elephant Parade is a global social enterprise initiative, which runs the world’s largest art exhibition of decorated elephant statues, which have been created in collaboration with artists and celebrities. The initiative travels around the world and aims to raise money and awareness for elephant conservation.

Click through the gallery above to see some of the sculptures that will be included in the Dubai Festival City Mall collection. 

Famous names to have got involved in the past include Sir Richard Branson, Katy Perry, Bryan Adams, Tommy Hilfiger, Prince Consort of Denmark, Khloe Kardashian, Ricky Gervais and many others.

Running parallel with the exhibition will be the sale of a limited edition range of handcrafted replicas, 20 per cent of the profit will be donated to elephant welfare and conservation projects.

"Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Elephant Parade and the opportunity to team up with Dubai’s Festival City Mall and its Imagine show allows us to add further colour to this fantastic annual event," Rene de Wit, managing director at Elephant Parade, said.

"After over a decade of visiting so many great cities around the world, Elephant Parade has become a truly global movement, bringing together the worlds of arts, business and charity to paint a brighter future for the elephant. Our debut this month in Dubai is one of the true high points of the last 10 years, and we hope it is just the beginning of a creative love affair with the Middle East."

Steven Cleaver, from Al-Futtaim Malls, added, "As we celebrate the launch of the newest Imagine show, we wanted to offer our visitors an immersive experience with a wonderful heart-warming story.

"We are delighted to host the first Middle East exhibition for the Elephant Parade and align our efforts with the country’s towards raising awareness on animal welfare and wildlife conservation. We hope that the show and the art statues of this majestic animal combined together will resonate in people’s minds and encourage them to be part of this movement.”

Elephant Parade, Imagine Show, Dubai Festival City Mall, October 24 until November 29, www.dubaifestivalcitymall.com