The 2026 CANstruction Dallas exhibit opened on Saturday, August 29, at NorthPark Center. The display will remain accessible to the public through Sunday, September 13. This year’s theme, "A League of UnCANny Villains," inspired 26 large-scale structures built entirely from canned foods and other shelf-stable items.
Teams from local architecture, engineering, design, and construction firms created the sculptures. The event serves as a design-and-build competition that benefits the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB). Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of NTFB, stated that the event is a creative way for the community to support the organization’s mission.
She noted that the generosity shown by participants directly supports the ability to provide nutritious meals to families across the region.
CANstruction Dallas has operated for nearly three decades. During that time, the competition has generated millions of cans of food for NTFB’s network, which includes more than 500 food pantries and community organizations. In the previous year’s competition, participants raised nearly $28,000 and collected over 117,000 pounds of canned goods. These donations provided more than 180,000 meals for neighbors in North Texas.
Visitors to NorthPark Center can participate in the event by voting for their favorite structure. Each vote, cast via a $5 donation at www.ntfb.org/canstruction, helps provide access to 15 nutritious meals for those in need. Past displays have featured various themes, including video game icons, global landmarks, and sci-fi characters such as Wall-E and Neo from The Matrix.
