Thousands of teenagers flooded Forrest Place on Saturday afternoon to “hail the great cactus” in a bizarre display of devotion to the CBD sculpture.

Many in the crowd — some painted green and dressed in costume — dropped to their knees, raising their hands toward the statue while chanting “all hail the cactus”.

The monument, created by Angus James and titled “Grow Your Own”, has become the latest fixation among Perth teens after a string of viral memes by Instagram user @kickflipskateboard promoted the event.

Covered in green paint and glitter, Calais West and Amelia McDonald said they felt compelled to pay respect to the “Perth icon”.

“We love the cactus, and when we saw the trend we wanted to come and worship,” Ms McDonald said.

Police maintained a visible presence around the site, stepping in to stop two teenage boys who had taped themselves to the statue.

Several others were seen climbing the aluminium sculpture, with one person needing first aid for a cut hand.

WA Police said they had engaged with the event organiser, who confirmed the gathering had been cancelled despite the massive turnout.

“While it is not an offence for people to attend Forrest Place or express personal beliefs, members of the public are reminded not to climb on public art, affix themselves or others using tape or other materials, or engage in behaviour that may pose a safety risk or cause community concern,” a police spokesperson said.

Bystander Isla Turnisle said she struggled to understand the spectacle.

“I’m not even that old, but all of this chanting seems weird to me,” she said. “And there’s police here now too, like surely they have better things to do.”