"The 2026 Giant Puppet Parade swept through the streets of tourist hotspot Siem Reap on Saturday, captivating the hearts of locals and tourists with rhythmic music, vibrant colours, and larger-than-life puppets. Footage features the stunning several meters tall gibbon, elephant, gekko and other animals dancing through the city to the amazed cheers of the massive crowd. The intricate puppets blinked their eyes and waved their hands and tails, even more astonishing to the public. "I brought my relatives from Battambang and my daughter to see the parade," said one of the visitors, Meas Sambath, stated. "We rushed to come and watch it. The traffic was very heavy because of the large crowd. We even had to run to catch up with the parade." With this year’s theme 'Wildlife of Cambodia – The Wild Parade', the main goal of the parade is to draw attention to ‘endangered species, animals at risk, and newly discovered species’. "This is the 16th year of the parade," Giant Puppet Parade General Manager Un Sovann commented. "The theme of the parade is about nature, environmental education, and society in general." "I have learned that this species is rare, and I feel proud that we made a giant puppet of it," said school student Kanika. This year's event is expected to draw up to 20,000 visitors, according to organisers. Dating back to 2007, the parade attracts hundreds of children and young people each year to create giant puppets under the guidance of professional artists, fostering their artistic creativity, appreciation for beauty, and respect for cultural heritage."