Creek Show Moves Downstream, and Waterloo Greenway's Front Door Moves With It

From November 13 through 21, Creek Show takes over the stretch of Waller Creek that runs from 4th Street to Lady Bird Lake. It's the first year the show has been held there. That stretch is called The Confluence. It opened on June 6, 2026, and this will be its first fall.

The move also shows how the greenway now works. Waterloo Greenway has two finished ends with an unbuilt stretch between them. Its signature community event now sits at the south end, next to the lake, the Butler Trail and Rainey Street.

Two Ends and a Gap in the Middle

The north end is Waterloo Park at 500 E 12th Street. It has 11 acres, 1.5 miles of trails, the Hill Country Gardens and Moody Amphitheater. The south end is The Confluence, 13 acres of restored parkland that run from 4th Street down to Lady Bird Lake.

The section between them, from 4th to 12th Street, is Phase III. According to Waterloo Greenway's plans for future phases, it's still being designed. The plans call for a continuous accessible trail, restoration of Waller Creek, lighting, creekside decks and gardens. No opening date has been announced.

So for now, November's events are split between the two finished ends. Día de los Muertos is up at Moody Amphitheater on November 1, and Creek Show is down at the lake two weeks later.

What the South End Connects To

The Confluence was built for getting from one place to another. Its 800-foot boardwalk sits down in Waller Creek and takes walkers and cyclists around the Red River Street and Cesar Chavez Street intersections instead of through them. Three lattice bridges add new east-west walking routes over the creek.

An off-street trail for bikes and pedestrians links the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, Sir Swante Palm Park, Rainey Street and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Waterloo Greenway describes the stretch as sitting next to the Rainey Street Historic District, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, the Austin Convention Center and the Butler Trail.

At the lake end you'll find a Lagoon Overlook and a Leaf Deck. Farther up are the shaded Lakeview Terrace, the Explorers Garden, and a Cypress Grove and Trailhead Plaza at 4th Street. Crews planted more than 200,000 plants and 1,600 trees. A biofiltration pond cleans stormwater runoff from 26.2 acres of the city around it. The City of Austin's project page says construction reached substantial completion in June 2026. The work left is minor, plus ongoing care of the plantings.

Creek Show's pieces use those features directly. One hangs from the underside of a bridge, and another is projected onto the Red River Street bridge.

Ten Installations, Most of Them About This Creek

Several of this year's pieces draw on Waller Creek's own history and the way it works. The Creek Show 2026 artist lineup reads partly like a history of the creek:

• Shadow Current by Charlie A (Che A) uses moving shadows to show the washerwomen who lived and worked along Waller Creek from the years after the Civil War into the 1950s.
• CONTACT by BRR Architecture remembers people who were displaced from the creek. Visitors touch glowing sculptural hands, and each one changes color. When several people touch different hands at once, the colors change in new ways.
• Moon Tower 15.1 by HKS Architects and DPR Construction is a nod to the original Moon Tower 15. That tower stood less than a block from the site for a hundred years. It was moved once and is still waiting to go back up. The new piece is meant to be seen from the Confluence bridges and from nearby hotel towers.
• NOT IN MY RUNOFF! by UNS shows the stormwater pipes that empty into the creek. drip-drop by Lord Aeck Sargent follows a single drop of light falling from the underside of a bridge to a stone in the creek below.
• Sacred Datura by SOM/Playhou.se has fabric flowers that open in real time, plus animations projected onto the Red River Street bridge.

The other four lean more toward fun. Fractal Time Fish: Portals of the Confluence by WarrPaint hangs glowing geometric fish over the water. Nocturnal Garden by Yuliya Lanina has flower sculptures with human eyes. Petri-chord by Creek Freaks has eight floating blooms edged with suspended drums, and turning spokes underneath draw out a scatter of tones. Waller Wildings by Kick Punch Bite is three guardian figures inspired by Japanese designer toys, and they light up when people walk past.

Nine Nights, Each With a Different Crowd

All nine nights have the same installations. What changes is the theme.

Monday the 16th is the only free night, and spots have to be reserved ahead of time. For dog owners, Wednesday the 18th is the night built for you. The event page says "Leashes on, tails up" and calls it an after-dark walk along Waller Creek. On a normal day, the park's posted rules ban off-leash pets.

Getting In, Parking and Timing

The show runs from 6 to 10 p.m. every night. The main entrance is at 4th Street and Sabine Street, 703 1/2 E 4th St.

• Entry windows. When you buy a ticket, you pick either 6 to 8 p.m. or 8 to 10 p.m. To see the whole show, you need to be in line by 9:30 p.m.
• Tickets. A general admission ticket gets you in on the night you choose. The Fast Pass gets you in faster, but it's sold on top of general admission, not instead of it. A discounted 4-pack covers four people on one night. Kids 4 and under don't need a ticket.
• Parking. The Austin Convention Center garage at 601 E 5th Street charges $5 from 5 to 10 p.m. on show nights. Spots are limited. The organizers also recommend rideshare.
• Where the money goes. All ticket proceeds go to Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, which is building and maintaining a 35-acre park system with the City of Austin.

The park's usual hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the conservancy notes that hours may change on event days.

The Rest of the Fall Calendar

The rest of Waterloo Greenway's fall programs are listed in the conservancy's fall programming announcement.

Sunday, November 1, 4 to 8 p.m. A free Día de los Muertos celebration at Moody Amphitheater. It includes community altars and pet altars, folklórico and mariachi, local food and drinks, and an artisan market presented by Future Front Texas.

Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to noon. Morning Glories: Diwali at the Meredith Heritage Tree Deck, with cultural performances, art activities, storytelling, music, food and drink.

Weekly classes. Waterloo Wellness: Yoga & Sound with Castle Hill Fitness meets on Mondays through November 2, with no class on October 19. Stay Strong with Aging is Cool meets on Tuesdays through November 3.

If you're driving to the north end, the Capitol Visitors Parking garage at 1201 San Jacinto Blvd. is free for the first two hours. After that it's $1 per half hour, up to $12 a day, and special event rates may apply.

Two local businesses are also raising money for the greenway through the end of 2026. Hotel Van Zandt gives $2 from every "In The Trees" cocktail, and Modern Bar gives 10% of its sales from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What's Planned Next at the South End

More is planned around The Confluence. Sir Swante Palm Neighborhood Park sits right next to the greenway at 200 N. IH-35. It's still in design and permitting. Plans include a restored shelter house, nature-play structures, a family pavilion, a shaded seating deck, a misting feature and local art. The city's project schedule has construction starting in 2027 and finishing in 2029.

Phase III, the stretch from 4th to 12th Street, still has no opening date. Until it does, Creek Show's nine nights are the best look at what the south end adds: a lit walk along the creek that ends at Lady Bird Lake.

If Vodka for Dog People Night is already on your calendar, we'd love to hear how you and your dog liked the new stretch. If seeing more of the city's waterfront has you wondering how close to the trails you'd like to live someday, Dueñas Realty Group is happy to talk it through over coffee whenever you're ready.