Alumni group confirms that University of Texas president was asked to resign

Austin's biggest fall art show is always the Creek Show, an immersive installation along Waller Creek that lights up the night with glowing architectural works. Organizers have revealed concept art for the 10 works that will make up the 2026 show, which runs nightly from November 13-21. This is also a big year for the show, which is now in a new location.

Though the Creek Show features work by many artists and every year is different, all the works are always meditations on Waller Creek itself. Water is a popular motif. Many works reference wildlife as well as human history connected to the creek. Some sculptures move and some have audio elements.

The goal of the show is to encourage Austinites to connect with the creek in a way that inspires curiosity or imparts knowledge about conservation in this patch of nature that runs through the urban environment.

This year, the show will move to The Confluence, a new stretch of Waterloo Greenway between 4th Street and Lady Bird Lake. The Confluence opened in May of 2026, marking the end of a $91.5 million phase of construction. The main new features are a series of raised pedestrian walkways, 200,000 native plants, and a new biofiltration pond that directly inspires one of the works below.

Creek Show tickets will open later and will benefit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, which creates and maintains the park in partnership with the City of Austin. More information is also coming later about theme nights and other events connected to the Creek Show.

Below are mockups and the inspiration behind each of the 10 new works for Creek Show 2026.

Contact by BRR ArchitectureRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

"Contact" is literal in this work that lets viewers touch and touches the world around it back. When touched, the glowing sculptures respond by changing color. That allows people to "contact each other" through the art. The hands represent people who have touched the creek before, especially those who were displaced, like Black residents in the early 1900s.

Drip-drop by Lord Beck SargentRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

"Drip-drop" is one of a long line of ideologically related works that utilize the natural elements in the cavernous space under the streets that cross over the creeks. Many works at past Creek Shows have created new cave environments with some surreal or ethereal elements. Light projections drip like water in this installation, reminding viewers about the importance of saving water. The drops will also make a sound that echoes through the space for extra immersion.

Fractal Time Fish: Portals of the Confluence WarrPaintRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

Fish are also a common theme at Creek Show, but there's always a new way to bring them to life. These fish are made of welded steel and crinkled dichroic film (like shiny plastic wrap), which means that they shimmer in the sun during the day, and at night LEDs and lasers make them glow against the rest of the environment. They are suspended from existing structures to ensure they have no lasting impact on the creek.

Moon Tower 15.1 by HKS Architects and DPR ConstructionRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

This disco ball-like structure references Austin's famous Moon Towers, large light clusters that used to artificially light patches of Austin at night. "Moon Tower" is located less than a block from the original Moon Tower 15, which in place for a century before it was removed to be restored. The artistic reinterpretation is meant to wax and wane like the moon. While many Creek Show works are cleverly hidden from regular view, this tower will proudly draw eyes from bridges around Confluence Park as well as surrounding hotels.

Not In My Runoff! by UNSRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

Water infrastructure usually isn't pretty or fun, but these colorful pipes are here to change that. "Not In My Runoff!" draws attention to the channels that bring stormwater — and all the things that end up in it — to this space. This will likely be the first time many visitors have ever even looked at pipes in Waller Creek.

Petri-chord by Creek FreaksRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

"Petri-chord" nods to Austin's music scene by performing a little song of their own. These sculptures are imagined as ephemeral "blooms." Rotating spokes will meet droplets from the blooms and create percussive rhythms that are all unique and singular, thanks to the natural properties of water.

Sacred Datura by SOM/Playhou.seRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

Datura, part of the nightshade family, is a plant genus that's native to Texas and the Edwards Plateau. These moving fabric sculptures show off different parts of the plants from stems to buds and then blooms. A projected backdrop adds more context to the display, showing the different phases in the flowers' growth. This work also honors Indigenous cultural traditions.

Shadow Current by Charlie A (Che A)Rendering courtesy of the Creek Show

In "Shadow Current," these ladies doing their laundry transform images of Austin as they work. They refer to real "collectivist communities of washerwomen who lived and worked along Waller Creek from the years after the Civil War into the 1950s," the installation's description shares. The artist shares that the automatic nature of the piece reflects their own creative workflow.

Waller Wildings by Kick Punch Bite, LLCRendering courtesy of the Creek Show

"Waller Wildlings" updates the Creek Show mascot, the Waller Creek Monster, as is annual tradition. These guys are inspired by Japanese designer toy culture. Viewers will get a surprise as the monsters react to their presence. "When we see nature as something alive, magical, and worth knowing, we are more likely to value it, protect it, and imagine its future," the description promises.