2026 Accordion Kings & Queens at Miller Outdoor Theatre

For Immediate Release

Media & Program Contact:

Mariela Freire, mfreire@texasfolklife.org, (210) 275-2720

Susan Schmaeling, susan@saspr.com or 713-253-2799

TEXAS FOLKLIFE PRESENTS ACCORDION KINGS & QUEENS CONCERT

AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE ON OCTOBER 10

Become a Texas Folklife member and receive priority seating for the event

Houston, TX (August 13, 2026) – A Gulf Coast audience favorite, the 37th annual Accordion Kings & Queens (AKQ) concert returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre (MOT) on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 7pm to 10pm.

Presented by Texas Folklife, this annual concert spotlights the accordion’s powerful role across Texas cultural communities and the many styles it brings to the stage: polka, conjunto, Zydeco, Cajun, Tejano, swing and more.

Texas Folklife announces its electrifying AKQ 2026 headliner: Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters. Expanding upon the Zydeco tradition pioneered by their father, Rockin Dopsie Sr., the brothers have performed across the world, for more than 46 years. The family ensemble is composed of the Rubin brothers performing dance-floor rhythms and providing non-stop energy. The band features frontman, washboard player and vocalist, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. (David Rubin), his brother Tiger (Alton Rubin Jr.) on the drums and vocals, and Anthony on the electrifying accordion.

In addition to his smooth vocals, Dopsie Jr. is known for his sensational stage presence which often culminate in him hitting the splits. The band’s rich blend of rock, blues, soul and Zydeco, is infectious and will have the MOT audience dancing in their seats, in the pit, and on the hill.

AKQ 2026 will be performed at Miller Outdoor Theatre, which always offers free performances to the public. Free General Admission tickets under the awning will be available at 10am Friday, October 9, through the Miller Outdoor Theatre website: https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com.

Become a member of Texas Folklife by September 25, 2026, and receive advance priority seating for the concert. Preserve the sound. Pass it on. Your gift helps preserve, celebrate, and pass on the music that makes Texas sound like Texas. To bring the music to accordion lovers near and far, the 2026 Accordion Kings & Queens concert will be live streamed.

“I had the pleasure of seeing the Dopsie brothers perform live in Nacogdoches this year, so I know this AKQ will be for the books,” said Mariela Freire, Communications Director at Texas Folklife. “It’s impossible not to dance when you hear the Dopsie’s play. You can feel their passion from the first note to the last.”

Headliner Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters will be joined by Jude Moreau and the Bon Temps Playboys, and Susan Torres y Conjunto Los Pinkys will open the evening. Save the Date music lovers! Put on your dancing shoes. The 37th annual Accordion Kings & Queens concert on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 7pm to 10pm, at Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas 77030 in Hermann Park.

ABOUT ACCORDION KINGS & QUEENS

Accordion Kings & Queens has showcased the cultural diversity of Texas at Houston’s Miller

Outdoor Theatre since 1989. The event brings communities together for an evening of dancing and roots music. Accordion Kings and Queens are supported by the Board and Members of Texas Folklife and the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board. The support provided by Texas Commission on the Arts, H-E-B, and the Texas Music Office brings our youth accordionist to AKQ on the Miller Outdoor Theatre stage.

ABOUT TEXAS FOLKLIFE

Texas Folklife (TXF) is a statewide non-profit organization that connects communities to cultural arts and artists, inspiring appreciation, participation, and preservation.

###