ROHNERT PARK-COTATI — If you've never imagined planning a weekend around an accordion, you've probably never been to Cotati for the town's unapologetic celebration of an often-underestimated instrument.
In Cotati, August means the return of the Accordion Festival, which will take over the downtown on Aug. 15 and 16.
The nonprofit festival, held at La Plaza Park, celebrates its 35th year after organizers launched the event in 1991 to promote appreciation for the accordion while raising money for local school music programs.
Festival founder Jim Boggio, a well-known Cotati musician and accordionist, teamed with Clifton "Buck" Kauffman to create the event.
Their idea grew from Boggio's passion for the instrument and Kauffman's commitment to community events, eventually evolving into what organizers describe as one of the largest accordion festivals in the United States.
Accordion virtuoso Dick Contino, who performed on the Cotati Accordion Festival's main stage 25 times — into his 80s — and was named its Honorary Director in 1995, became one of the event's signature attractions before his death in 2017. The festival now supports young musicians through the Dick and Judy Contino Accordion Scholarship.
This year's lineup spans genres and continents, featuring Grammy-nominated Cory Pesaturo, internationally acclaimed Belarusian-born accordionist Stas Venglevski, Spain's Marta Cubas Hondal, Slovakia's Julia Masnicova, Sergei and Maria Teleshev, Royal Jelly Jive, Those Darn Accordions, Discos Resaca Collective, The Mad Maggies, and more.
The festival extends beyond the main stage. Visitors can dance in a dedicated polka tent, join zydeco dance parties, watch emerging musicians on the Accordion Apocalypse Stage, cheer student scholarship award winners, enjoy jam sessions, browse artisan and food vendors, and take part in the festival's signature "Lady of Spain-A-Ring" audience tradition. Sunday concludes with a Grand Finale featuring multiple performers.
Music reflects the accordion's worldwide reach, with performances ranging from polka, zydeco, Cajun, tango, Balkan, Celtic, Mexican norteño, folk, rock, blues, and jazz to contemporary world music.
The mix has helped make the festival a destination for accordion enthusiasts and curious first-time visitors alike.
Since its founding, the festival has donated more than $500,000 to youth music education and community organizations.
The 2026 Cotati Accordion Festival runs from 9:45 a.m. to about 8 p.m. on Aug. 15, and 9:35 a.m. to about 8 p.m. on Sunday at La Plaza Park in downtown Cotati.
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