Every November, you can catch one of my favorite Austin events at Waterloo Greenway. Creek Show! It’s part art installation, part light show, part festival. Walk along Waller Creek to enjoy light-up art pieces, and end the night with live music, food, and activities.
I’ve included my review of Creek Show 2024 below, as well as answers to FAQ! The biggest takeaway from 2024 is it’s very short and there were no games or activities.
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What is Creek Show?
Creek Show is an annual event in Downtown Austin featuring bright and imaginative light-up art installations along Waller Creek. Each year features different art pieces meant to explore themes related to Waterloo Greenway. There are always fun pieces, beautiful pieces and sometimes silly pieces, like light-up portapotties or glowing pants.
After walking through the installations, you can typically find booths with activities, live music, food and drinks in Waterloo Park (though it looks like this year, that may take place at the Creek Show Lounge at Swim Club).
And 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Creek Show!
All proceeds from Creek Show benefit Waterloo Greenway, whose mission is to create and maintain a new 35-acre urban park system in partnership with the City of Austin.
Is Creek Show 2024 worth it?
If you love to see Creek Show every year, then you should go, but keep your expectations low! If you’re on the fence, this would be a good year to skip without missing much. Maybe I just had a really great time in 2023, but I was disappointed this year.
Very short
The 2024 show itself is super short and quick to walk through. There are only 5 “new” installations (and at least two of them are actually reused/reimagined from previous shows), and they are pretty close together. It took us 7 minutes to go from the first one to the last one.
There are some other past pieces you can see too: two of the glowing inflatable agave from 2021 near Moody Amphitheater, and some of the pants from 2022 are spread out on your walk to the show.
Less family-friendly
The biggest bummer was that there were no activities afterward for the kids to do. Last year, there were lots of fun family-friendly activities and a festival-type atmosphere at Waterloo Park after you walked through the art show. This year, there were no activities.
It ends at a “lounge” at Swim Club, which is just a bit of green space outside of Swim Club (a restaurant/bar) with a small bar and a few picnic tables. There’s food and drinks for sale (popcorn was $7.50 😳 so plan accordingly).
The website had said there would be games and live music here, but there wasn’t anything on opening night. Maybe they’ll bring some in on other nights, but it was disappointing to pay a little bit extra to go the first night and have nothing to do.
It seems like they are gearing this year’s show toward adults and trying to get them to go out to local businesses in the Red River district after Creek Show. You get a wristband at Creek Show, but it’s just for discounts at nearby businesses, and they’re mostly bars.
Backwards set-up
The set-up felt backwards this year. Even where the vendors were set up seemed like it should be at the end, but it was at the beginning before you go to the show. The full merch table was right by the entrance, before you’ve seen the show; the merch table at the end was basically empty (and not because they’d sold a lot).
I had also planned to buy the kids Tiff’s Treats, but it was at the beginning too. I wanted to see the show first (and didn’t want to end up carrying cookies and trash while we saw the show), so we didn’t get any. I would’ve preferred to buy it at the end, but didn’t have the option.
When is Creek Show?
Creek Show happens every November for about a week. For 2024, the Creek Show dates are November 8 to November 16.
It runs from 6 pm to 10 pm each night (6 pm is Early Access, and General Admission starts at 7).
Where is Creek Show?
Creek Show takes place in downtown Austin near the State Capitol, at Waterloo Greenway, including Waller Creek and Waterloo Park.
In past years, the entrance to Creek Show was near 10th and Red River, and it ended at Waterloo Park. This year, it is be the opposite, with the entrance near Moody Amphitheater in Waterloo Park and the end of the show near the Red River District at 10th and Red River.
Where do I park for Creek Show?
We normally park in the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage (or those right next to it). They’re located right between Waterloo Park and the Capitol, near San Jacinto and 12 St. They charge $10-$20 to park. (We paid $20 in 2024)
You can also find parking (typically paid) between Waterloo Park and the Red River District, and all over downtown, depending on how far you’d like to walk.
Is Creek Show free?
In 2024, Creek Show is only free on Sunday, November 10 (you still need an online reservation ahead of time). The other nights require paid reservations. Ticket prices range from $15 for opening night to $6 for general admission. Kids 5 and under are free.
And if you’re thinking that it used to be free to attend and wondering if you’re remembering right, you are! Creek Show was free in the past, and you could pay for priority access to skip the line. I know the line was crazy long last year, so maybe they are trying something new to make it a more pleasant experience?
Should I bring a stroller to Creek Show?
There is a lot of walking for Creek Show! Walking from wherever you park to the entrance, then around Waterloo Park, by the creek to see the installations, and then back to your car will add up. If you have small kids with you, a stroller might be a good option (and they are allowed at Creek Show).
On of my other favorite Austin events is happening during November: Fortlandia! It runs from October to January: see all the info here.
For more November events, check here.
