You could see a free outdoor sculpture show in one Saturday afternoon. So why would a city hand you a game card that takes until March to turn in?
Starting today, October 8, 2026, Downtown Garland is hosting "Alebrijes Garland: A Dreamworld in Color." It is a free outdoor exhibition of large cartonería sculptures by master artisans from Mexico City, and it runs through March 29, 2027. The sculptures stay up for close to six months. The bigger draw is a Downtown Garland Lotería card that can't be finished in one trip, because some of its squares depend on dates that haven't arrived yet. If you live here, the exhibit works best as a reason to keep showing up downtown through the fall and winter.
The Card Sets the Pace
The rules come from the Visit Garland exhibition page. Pick up a Lotería card and complete 12 activities inspired by the alebrijes and Downtown Garland. Each one earns a sticker. The examples listed include finding the Tiny Hats, attending a Downtown event, visiting the Central Library and taking a photo with an alebrije. If you turn in a finished card at the Garland Visitor Center by March 29, 2027, you're entered for a chance at a prize.
"Attending a Downtown event" is the square that sets the schedule. You can't fill it on a random Tuesday. It ties the card to the calendar, so the calendar later in this post is part of the game.
Start at the Garland Visitor Center, 501 W. State St. It's open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ask for the free sculpture guide too. It maps where every alebrije sits around downtown. No Sunday or Monday hours are listed for the center. Plan to pick up your card and turn it in on one of the five days it's open.
Twelve Creatures, Two Sizes
The exhibit comes in two tiers. Four monumental pieces anchor it:
- Bicefalo, a three-headed dragon by Alberto Moreno Fernández, about 14 feet tall
- L'aquarium, a seahorse with tentacles by Alejandro Camacho Barrera, about 12 feet high
- Osita Emilia, a bear by Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano, about 12 feet high and 6 to 8 feet long
- Patapez, a fish with feet by Alejandro Camacho Barrera, about 12 feet high
Eight smaller pieces make up the Spirit Animal Collection, spread around downtown. They are Asmej the toucan, Blue the raccoon, Braulio the moose, a deer named Deer, El Kokoro the crocodile, Gigi the blue bear, Ma'ax the monkey and Totolt the woodpecker. Some of them are small enough to walk right past. El Kokoro is listed at about 2 feet high, and Ma'ax at about 3 feet. You'll spot the big four on your own. For the spirit animals, you'll want the map.
All three artists made pieces in both tiers. Camacho Barrera, for example, made L'aquarium and Patapez among the big pieces, plus Braulio, Gigi and Ma'ax among the small ones. Once you've seen one artist's 12-foot piece, finding that artist's smaller work becomes its own small game.
Alebrijes trace back to the artist Pedro Linares. They mix different animals into one imagined creature, and they're often built with cartonería, a skilled papier-mâché technique from Mexico City folk art.
The Library Shows How They Were Made
The street pieces are the finished work. The Central Library at 625 Austin St. shows how they started. A companion display there includes eight maquettes, which are small versions of the sculptures, along with framed concept sketches and panels about the artists. The exhibit describes the library as the "portal" the alebrijes came through to reach Garland. Admission is free.
The library also covers the gap in the Visitor Center's hours. It's open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. On a Sunday afternoon, when the Visitor Center is closed, you can still check off the library square.
The Tiny Hats Lead You Around Downtown
One square on the card belongs to something Downtown Garland already had. The Tiny Hat Scavenger Hunt is a self-guided hunt for small handcrafted brass cowboy hats tucked into local landmarks, shops and gathering spots. You can get a clue sheet at the Visitor Center.
The clue sheet has eight clues, and together they make a good walking route. They point to a spot with Garland gear and a customer welcome, colorful outdoor art, colorful lights, a spiral play structure, a walking trail with plaques, a movie-night marquee, an outdoor performance map and a preserved railcar. Keep the hat hunt and the sculpture map open on the same walk. You'll cover much of downtown and fill two squares at once.
The Calendar Fills the Event Square
These are the dated downtown events that fall during the exhibit's first three months. Each one is a chance to fill "attend a Downtown event," and a couple add something extra.
- Scream on the Square, Thursdays from Oct. 8 to Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. These free outdoor Halloween movies start the same night as the exhibit. The lineup is Twilight on Oct. 8, Corpse Bride on Oct. 15, The Sixth Sense on Oct. 22 and Hocus Pocus on Oct. 29.
- Día de los Muertos, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 to 8 p.m. CW33 reported that the celebration centers on The Atrium at 300 N. Fifth St. and spreads across downtown. DJ Spice Girl plays the main stage from 2 to 6:30 p.m., then Los Komberz from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mariachi, ballet folklórico, school dance groups and marimba also perform. The city's event page also lists student art and altars, El Mercado, food trucks, crafts, face painting, games and inflatables. Admission is free. The student artwork stays up from Oct. 24 through Nov. 8. A community procession led by a Danza Azteca group is planned, but its time and route hadn't been posted yet.
- "A Dreamworld Explained" guided tours, Thursdays Nov. 5, 12 and 19, at 5:30 and 7 p.m. These walking tours cover the history, artistry and symbolism behind the alebrijes. Tours start at the Garland Visitor Center and cost $5, with 30 people per time slot. There's no tour on Thanksgiving, so the series ends after three Thursdays. With six slots of 30 people each, there are 180 spots total, and they're reserved through Prekindle.
- Music Made Here with Ryan Berg, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
- Urban Market, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12. The market runs March through December, usually on the second Saturday of the month. That puts the November and December markets on those dates.
- A Garland Christmas on the Square, Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m. The evening includes the tree lighting, live music, a snow hill, photos with Santa, artisan crafts, food from downtown restaurants and vendors, and train rides for kids.
The tour series is the one event built around the exhibit itself, and it only happens in November. Anyone hoping to hear the stories behind the sculptures from a guide has three Thursdays to do it. The exhibit runs through March, but the dated downtown calendar we found ends in December. After that, the event square may take more planning.
Where to Sit Down Between Stops
A card with 12 squares means several trips downtown, and each trip is a chance to eat or drink nearby. Two newer places are worth a stop.
Lola's Tapas Café & Wine is run by Mia and Meli, a mother-daughter team. Voyage Dallas profiled them in September 2026 and described the menu as coffee, wine and small plates with a Spanish influence. Coffee makes it an easy start before an afternoon of hat hunting. Small plates and wine fit after a 7 p.m. tour.
The Owl Icehouse is going in at 519 W. State St., the same stretch of West State Street as the Visitor Center. In its announcement, the City of Garland named Rae and Mike Luther as its creative and operational leads. The Owl's own site says it's coming to Downtown Garland in fall 2026. Both Lola's and The Owl were listed as participating businesses in the Oct. 3 Downtown Garland fall crawl. Check The Owl's site for current hours before planning around it.
Getting downtown from the northeast part of the city should also be easier this season. The City of Garland reported that the six-year, $1.7 billion I-635 East rebuild is finished. The 11-mile corridor was widened, and it now has continuous frontage roads along its northeastern curve. The Garland ribbon-cutting was held Sept. 14.
Every week, more of downtown Garland's calendar is turning into reasons to show up, and that's what keeps a neighborhood interesting for the people who already live there. If all this time on the Square has you wondering what your own Garland home is worth right now, Derek Westley can give you a straight answer that reflects the local market. Get Your Free Home Valuation, then go pick up your Lotería card.
