A Colombian municipality is converting its annual lakeside festival into a permanent memorial for singer Yeison Jiménez and the five others who died in a plane crash on January 10, 2026, near the town’s shore.
Paipa officials announced on June 9 that the Festival del Lago 2026, set for June 13 and 14 at Lago Sochagota, will dedicate its entire program to the victims of the crash, which occurred just beyond the runway of a local airstrip.
Mayor Germán Ricardo Camacho said the municipality decided to turn its signature event into a tribute for an artist whose loss has resonated across Boyacá. Camacho told local press that the municipality felt compelled to dedicate its signature festival to an artist whose death has left an enduring mark on the region.
“This festival means a great deal to our municipality, which is why we invite everyone to join us for this new edition on June 13 and 14. As always, there will be many activities, but this year we have chosen to dedicate the festival as a tribute to our beloved artist Yeison Jiménez, as well as to the members of his band who also lost their lives in this tragic accident in our municipality,” Camacho said.
The two-day event will weave together traditional sporting and cultural activities with acts of commemoration, including a memorial mass, a concert by Jiménez’s longtime backing band, and the unveiling of a bronze sculpture that will remain at the lake.
From Movistar Arena to Lago Sochagota
The festival will mark the most lasting public memorial since the mass farewell held on January 14 at Bogotá’s Movistar Arena, where roughly 14,000 fans passed through two free sessions. Thaliana, Jiménez’s young daughter, was carried on shoulders across the arena floor. Artists including Pipe Bueno, who opened with “Tengo Ganas,” a song he had recorded with Jiménez, paid tribute throughout the night. Alzate performed “Sin Decir Adiós” and “Mi Venganza.” Jessi Uribe and Paola Jara sang “Ya No Mi Amor,” while Francy, Arelys Henao, Sebastián Ayala and John Alex Castaño also took the stage, according to coverage of the service.
Lucy, Jiménez’s mother, spoke to the crowd directly. “Whether it’s a lot or a little, I don’t know, but I’ll always be here to take care of your children, your wife, and those who might be weaker than you. As long as God gives me life and health,” she said, before dedicating Kany García’s “Confieso” to her son.
A Sculpture by the Water
Sunday, June 14, will serve as the emotional peak of the festival. An open-air mass begins at noon in the events plaza of Lago Sochagota, with local choirs and the Symphonic Band of the Paipa School of Music accompanying the service. Belén Osorio Vásquez, Paipa’s secretary of culture and youth, has organized the mass around themes of memory and recognition.
A bronze sculpture by artist Omar Santa María will be unveiled the same day and permanently installed at the lake, creating a lasting marker where Jiménez’s final flight ended. Relatives of Jiménez and the other victims have been invited and may attend, officials say.
The Sunday program will close with a performance by Ciro Quiñonez and la Banda del Aventurero, the group that accompanied Jiménez for years on stage and on his most-streamed recordings.
Saturday, June 13, will feature the festival’s traditional programming. An open-water swimming championship launches at 6 a.m., followed by environmental tours, bird-watching outings, an ecological walk and a canoeing championship. The afternoon will showcase Paipa’s homegrown artists during the Verbena del Lago.
An Investigation Still Open
The memorial takes place as investigators continue examining the crash. A preliminary report released by Colombia’s civil aviation authority in late January 2026 found that both propellers of the aircraft, registered as N325FA, bore low-energy impact deformations, a pattern consistent with engines that were not producing full power at the moment of impact. The plane carried no flight data or cockpit voice recorders, complicating efforts to reconstruct the final seconds, investigators confirmed. The engines were shipped to the U.S. manufacturer for detailed analysis.
Witnesses captured video showing the twin-engine aircraft straining down the runway as voices shouted that “the runway ran out,” then failing to climb and slamming into a field just beyond the strip. Jiménez, 34, was traveling to Medellín for an evening performance in Marinilla. All six aboard were killed, including pilot Captain Hernando Torres, manager Jefferson Osorio, personal assistant Oscar Marín, photographer Weismann Mora, and passenger Juan Manuel Rodríguez, authorities confirmed. Transport Minister Fernanda Rojas announced the opening of an investigation hours later, and the Boyacá governor’s office declared departmental mourning.
The Manzanares, Caldas, native built his catalog on songs of grit and gratitude, including “Aventurero,” “Destino Final” with Luis Alfonso, “Vete,” and “Ni Tengo Ni Necesito.” His final Instagram post, uploaded roughly six hours before news of the crash broke, carried a caption that fans have since adopted as an epitaph: “Recuerden… si la carreta suena es porque va vacía.” In an interview two weeks before he died, Jiménez had said he dreamed three times of an accident like the one that killed him, and believed God was sending warnings.
Five months later, the warnings have given way to bronze, music and a mass at the edge of the lake.