San Antonio is getting ready to turn Rosedale Park into accordion central when the 44th Tejano Conjunto Festival closes with an international tribute to the late Flaco Jiménez. The memorial set, scheduled for 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, will bring in players from Japan, Spain, the Netherlands and Mexico for the festival’s final night.
Closing night at Rosedale Park
Festival organizers are lining up a finale that starts with a full set by Grammy-winning Los Texmaniacs before shifting into a multi-artist tribute curated by festival founder Juan Tejeda and Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center executive director Cristina Ballí. The May 14–17 festival dates and the Sunday tribute are listed on the festival page, according to Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.
International lineup and tickets
The tribute roster pairs Flaco’s brother Santiago Jiménez Jr. with a global crew of accordionists, including Dwayne Verheyden (Netherlands), Honorio Imamura (Japan), Antonio Tanguma Jr. (Monterrey), Miguel Pérez (Spain), Linda Escobar, Arturo Jiménez and Gil Jiménez. “I think this is one of the best and most diverse, nationally and internationally, musical lineups we’ve had at the TCF in a long time,” festival founder Juan Tejeda said. Tickets, including three-day weekend passes at $50 and single-day rates of $20 on Friday, $25 on Saturday and $15 on Sunday, along with details on cooler and lawn chair policies, are outlined by San Antonio Current. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
Flaco's reach and legacy
Flaco Jiménez, who died July 31, 2025 at 86, helped carry conjunto far beyond Texas through collaborations that ran from Ry Cooder to the Rolling Stones and the Mavericks and earned him multiple Grammys, along with recognition in the Library of Congress, according to The Guardian. Local coverage noted the outpouring of memorials in San Antonio and the decision to honor him at this year’s festival, per KSAT.
Why the tribute matters locally
The Tejano Conjunto Festival, produced by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, bills itself as the nation’s longest-running conjunto festival and draws about 10,000 fans, dancers and musicians to Rosedale Park each year, according to the festival site. Organizers say the 44th edition will feature more than 40 artists across workshops and performances, making the May tribute a rare international spotlight on a West Side tradition, per Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.
