​ELEPHANT PARADE IS COMING HOME TO CHIANG MAI

Elephant Parade®, the world’s leading public art exposition in aid of the Asian elephant, will be taking over the streets of Chiang Mai this December, as it launches its first ever Elephant Parade event in the place where the global concept was born.

From 9th December until 15th January, at least 70 Elephant Parade statues will take over the city of Chiang Mai for an exhibition that intends to raise awareness on the plight of the elephant and fundraise to support important conservation and education projects.

The choice of Chiang Mai for this event is significant. This December, Elephant Parade will be celebrating the 10^th anniversary of its global work to give the elephant a brighter future. In the last decade, Elephant Parade has visited the UK, the USA, China, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Hong Hong, The Netherlands, France, Luxemburg and Brazil – connecting many millions of people to elephant conservation issues and drawing in the enthusiasm and support of hundreds of top artists, celebrities and public figures.

Visitors to Elephant Parade Chiang Mai will discover elephants created by renowned Thai artists, international brands and top celebrities, such as: architect Duangrit Bunnag, ex-Miss Thailand Cindy Bishop, and Ferrari.

The parade coincides with the opening of ‘Elephant Parade Land Experience’. This is a new Chiang Mai attraction where visitors will be able to enjoy a behind the scene’s tour of Elephant Parade’s art studio, visit the museum and paint their very own elephant.

Mike Spits, Elephant Parade Founder commented: “Chiang Mai is a very special place for Elephant Parade as it is near the home of Mosha, the baby elephant that inspired the Elephant Parade story. Today, the city is also our global operating headquarters. Many of our elephant statues are created by local Thai artists or inspired by Thailand’s rich culture. Home is where the heart is - this parade will have a very bespoke, intimate and welcoming air to its celebrations. We are highlighting our favourite spots across the city with the Elephant Parade Guide to Chiang Mai, a free booklet.”

Elephant Parade’s inspiration is a beautiful elephant called Mosha based at Friends of the Asian Elephant, the world’s first elephant hospital in Lampung, just outside of Chiang Mai. Founder’s Marc and Mike Spits first encountered Mosha when she was just seven months old, she had stepped on a landmine and lost part of her leg. Mosha was fitted with the first prosthetic for an elephant, which needs replacing frequently as she grows.

The Spits’ set up Elephant Parade so that Mosha and other elephant NGO’s can receive continued structural support. Mosha’s story of overcoming adversity became a key message of the organisation and she features in every parade as symbol of Elephant Parades’ values to protect elephants. For this anniversary parade, Mosha's statue will have a special Chiang Mai adorned prosthetic leg.

Elephant Parade Chiang Mai is open to all the public. Details of where elephants will be positioned will be released at a later date. There will be special events and workshops during the parade.

About Elephant Parade

• Elephant Parade (www.elephantparade.com) believes in the power of a global movement to make a happier world through Art, Business and Conservation (ABC). Their worldwide art exhibitions and products put smiles on the faces of millions of people and create awareness and funds for elephant conservation.
• Elephant Parade Chiang Mai Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/616024495224577/
• Elephant Parade replicas of the exposition elephants are available via the Elephant Parade webshop www.elephantparadewebshop.com. Other merchandise by Elephant Parade includes the Elephant Parade DIY Artbox, Mugs, Keyrings, Artbooks, Tableware and Paper products. Their merchandise are being sold in 23 countries in over 225 stores and Elephant Parade retailers can be found at: www.elephantparade.com/partners.
• Elephant Parade generates money from expositions and merchandise and donates 20% of their net profits to NGO’s. The Chiang Mai parade beneficiaries are Elephant Family: www.elephant-family.org, Friends of the Asian Elephant Hospital: www.friendsoftheasianelephant.org and Naka Foundation: nakaelephantfoundation.org.