The last time Creek Show lit up downtown, in November 2024, it ran at Waterloo Park, up the creek near the Capitol end of the greenway. Last November it skipped its usual run entirely. On Friday, November 13, it comes back at the other end of Waller Creek, in the 13 acres between 4th Street and Lady Bird Lake that opened as Waterloo Greenway Phase II: The Confluence on June 6.
That puts the show between Rainey Street, Palm Park and the Butler Trail, close to many downtown front doors. And because each of the nine nights has its own theme, the night you pick shapes what you get. Choosing well starts with knowing how this year's run differs from past ones.
A decade upstream, then a year off
Creek Show started in 2014. According to Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, it has "traveled from Waller Creek downtown to Waterloo Park over the years," and it always went wherever the park project had most recently opened. In May 2025 the Conservancy said that after "a decade of lighting up upper Waller Creek," the show would skip its usual November slot and come back in 2026 at The Confluence. In that announcement, Creek Show Artistic Director Ingrid Spencer said, "Creek Show has always evolved alongside Waterloo Greenway, moving to highlight each new chapter of its transformation."
The 2026 event page confirms the move. "For the first time, Creek Show will move downstream." The dates are November 13 through 21, 6 to 10 p.m. nightly, with ten light-based installations by local artists. It's rain or shine.
If you've been walking The Confluence since June, you already know its daytime shape. Waterloo Greenway's grand-opening materials name the spaces: the Lakeview Terrace, Explorers Garden, Leaf Deck, Lagoon Overlook, Cypress Grove and Trailhead Plaza. They also list three lattice bridges, an 800-foot boardwalk at creek level, and an off-street trail linking the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Palm Park, Rainey Street and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. For nine nights, local artists light that same layout after dark.
The ten installations and the teams behind them
Waterloo Greenway runs this year's show under the title "It's Alive!" The lineup includes Austin architecture firms, national design firms and individual artists:
- CONTACT by BRR Architecture
- drip-drop by Lord Aeck Sargent
- Fractal Time Fish: Portals of the Confluence by WarrPaint
- Moon Tower 15.1 by HKS Architects and DPR Construction
- Nocturnal Garden by Yuliya Lanina
- NOT IN MY RUNOFF! by UNS
- Petri-chord by Creek Freaks
- Sacred Datura by SOM and Playhou.se
- Shadow Current by Charlie Alvarado
- Waller Wildings by Kick Punch Bite, LLC
The organizers' nightly descriptions offer a few hints. One promises "glowing guardians, watchful flowers, and fish that swim through the air." Another asks how you "build a moon tower from light, or give a flower a pair of eyes." Wellness Night invites guests to "follow a single droplet of light as it falls" and "take in the floating blooms." Several titles nod to Waller Creek's history as a drainage channel. That fits a site Waterloo Greenway describes as built around a biofiltration pond at the southern edge of the park system.
Nine nights, nine different crowds
Every night shows the same ten installations. The programming around them changes, and so do the people who come. This is the schedule as Waterloo Greenway lists it:
| Night | Date | What's built around it |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Night | Friday, Nov 13 | First night of the downstream run |
| Family Night | Saturday, Nov 14 | Kids' activities at Creek Monster Cove |
| Maker Night | Sunday, Nov 15 | Local creative groups, plus a 7 p.m. Artist Talk presented by Fairmont Austin, reservation required |
| Community Night | Monday, Nov 16 | Powered by PNC, free with a reservation |
| Pride Night | Tuesday, Nov 17 | Local LGBTQ+ organizations |
| Vodka for Dog People Night | Wednesday, Nov 18 | Presented by Tito's Handmade Vodka, leashed dogs welcome |
| Wellness Night | Thursday, Nov 19 | Local wellness organizations |
| Go Greenway Night | Friday, Nov 20 | Celebrates members, with local environmental groups |
| Closing Night | Saturday, Nov 21 | Last chance to see the installations |
For downtown residents, three nights stand out.
Monday, November 16 is the only free night. Waterloo Greenway calls it "one night, every light, at no cost to the community." Every other night is ticketed, and all proceeds go to the Conservancy's work on its planned 35-acre park system. Community Night still needs a reservation, so it's not a walk-up night.
Wednesday, November 18 is the dog night. If you have a dog and live in a tower within walking distance of the creek, this is the evening built for you. The organizers note that "a few of the installations may be watching back."
Sunday, November 15 brings the artists out. The 7 p.m. Artist Talk is a moderated discussion with Creek Show artists and designers, and it needs its own reservation.
How entry works this year
Creek Show has one main entrance this year, at 4th Street and Sabine Street, listed as 703 1/2 E. 4th St. That's the north end of The Confluence. If you're coming from Rainey Street or the lake, plan to walk up to 4th and Sabine to get in.
Tickets are sold by night, through Waterloo Greenway's Universe page. The options are:
- General Admission gets you in on the night you choose. Children 5 and under don't need a ticket.
- Fast Pass is an add-on to General Admission that gets you in faster.
- 4-Pack is a discounted ticket that admits four people on one night.
Every ticket also carries a timed entry window, either 6 to 8 p.m. or 8 to 10 p.m. The window only sets when you can enter. You need to be in line by 9:30 p.m. to see the whole show. A late window works well with an early dinner, which matters more on a weeknight.
On site, Creek Monster Cove sells food and drinks and runs activities alongside the installations.
Parking, and the construction next door
Waterloo Greenway says parking near the creek is limited and suggests two options. The Austin Convention Center garage at 601 E. 5th St. offers $5 parking from 5 to 10 p.m. every night of the show, with limited spaces. Rideshare is the other.
The garage sits next to the convention center rebuild. On the official project timeline, steel arrived in August 2026, installation runs through 2027, and the new building is set to open in spring 2029. Driving to Creek Show means passing a working construction site on the way to the $5 rate. If you live south of 4th Street, walking is usually the easier way in.
Opening weekend shares downtown with the Texas Book Festival
The first weekend has a second big event. The Texas Book Festival runs downtown on November 14 and 15. Those are Creek Show's Family Night and Maker Night. A Saturday or Sunday of festival panels can end at the creek after dark, but expect the core to be busier than on a typical November weekend.
If you'd like a quieter evening at the installations, choose a weeknight. Pride Night, dog night and Wellness Night fall Tuesday through Thursday, and Community Night is Monday.
Dinner on the lake end of the creek
The Confluence connects straight to Rainey Street and the lakefront, so dinner nearby is easy to fold in. Tribeza's September roundup of new Austin restaurants includes Alteño, a Mexican restaurant at 1 Hotel Austin, 96 Red River St., near where Waller Creek meets the lake. The same list includes Kinsho, a sushi restaurant at 51 Rainey St., Suite 140-A. One way to plan it is an early table at either one, then a walk north along the creek trail to 4th and Sabine for an 8 p.m. entry.
After November 21
Waterloo Greenway calls Closing Night the "last chance to experience Creek Show before the lights go out!" The Confluence is a permanent park, and a night at Creek Show is a good way to learn where the Lagoon Overlook, the boardwalk and the lattice bridges are before you see them again by daylight. The holiday calendar keeps going too. The Downtown Austin Alliance's Holiday Sing-Along & Stroll is Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Conservancy's next projects are upstream and next door. Phase III, from 4th to 12th Street, is in design, and restoration of Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park is set to start construction in 2027.
If being a short walk from The Confluence is starting to factor into which downtown building you'd call home, or which one you'd sell, Carl Shurr knows the buildings along the creek, and he can walk the trail with you before you decide. Book an appointment.
