2024 Before I Die NM Festival Event Schedule

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Before I Die Festival

Before I Die Festival 2024 postcard

The 2024 Before I Die New Mexico Festival will take place at different locations each day in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The festival has entertaining and educational elements that get people to discuss end-of-life issues and plan ahead. There will be two days of preview events on October 24 and October 26, and the main festival events take place November 1-4, 2024.

Most sessions will be available online as hybrid events, allowing audiences to participate in-person and via Zoom. This schedule will be updated as more speakers and events are confirmed. This schedule is current as of October 21, 2024.

Register Here

Thursday, October 24, 2024: Preview Event

  • Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews: Death Doula Edition

  • Location: Tractor Brewing Wells Park, 1800 4th Street NW, ABQ, NM 87102

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Free event! Buy a drink and ask questions of death doulas Danielle Slupesky, Brooke Nutting and Kelly Saindon, Licensed Spiritual Practitioner and Master Clinical Social Worker during this evening event at Tractor Brewing Wells Park location.

Before I Die Festival Preview Event Fair

Saturday, October 26, 2024: Before I Die Festival Preview Event

  • Death is Not a Dirty Word Resource Fair

  • Location: Unity Spiritual Center, 9800 Candelaria Rd. NE, ABQ NM 87112

9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Albuquerque is blessed with incredible resources to support end-of-life planning and care. Come meet your local resources, from home funerals to green burial, sacred space to legal documents, and everything in between. Free, refreshments provided.

Saturday, October 26, 2024: Before I Die Festival Preview Event

  • Murder and Mayhem Cemetery Tour

  • Location: Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale Blvd. SE, ABQ, NM 87109

Murder and Mayhem Historic Fairview Cemetery for Before I Die Festival1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Murder and Mayhem Tour Wear your walking shoes for this fascinating tour of Historic Fairview Cemetery! Meet some of the “permanent residents” who died because of murder or mayhem. This is a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization supporting the cemetery, founded in 1881. (Register for the festival at the $80 level)

Register Here

Friday, November 1, 2024: Before I Die NM Festival Day One

  • Location: Passages International Headquarters, 4516 Anaheim Ave. NE, ABQ, NM 87113
  • Theme: Eco-Friendly Funerals

Before I Die Festival Eco Friendly Funerals8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Check in/coffee

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Welcome by Darren Crouch, president of Passages International and the Green Burial Council, discussion of eco-friendly funerals and Etern.Life geo tag program. (viewable on Zoom)

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. A representative of Better Place Forests talks about their innovative memorial forests that provide a natural alternative to cemeteries. (viewable on Zoom)

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Tour of Passages International headquarters, lunch with Death Cafe discussion.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Panel discussion: Desert, Forest, Sea, Etc. – Eco-Friendly Disposition Options, panelists TBA (viewable on Zoom)

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Demonstration of shrouding process. (viewable on Zoom)

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bamboo and Jute Casket Assembly Contest. (viewable on Zoom)

November 1 Evening Event: Mortality Movies Showing and Discussion

Location: Death Doula Professionals, 1724 Moon Street NE, ABQ, NM 87112

6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Watch a film related to to the day’s theme of environmental issues and death, and stick around for an insightful conversation. Attendees to vote on the choice of the 1973 classic Soylent Green or the 2014 documentary, A Will for the Woods.

Register Here

Saturday, November 2, 2024: Before I Die NM Festival Day Two

  • Location: Bosque Trails Hospice, 303 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite 104, ABQ, NM 87108
  • Theme: Hospice 101

Bosque Trails Hospice8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Check in/coffee

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Hospice 101 and Medical Aid In Dying (MAID) with staff of Bosque Trails Hospice. (viewable on Zoom)

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Hospice experiences with Gail Rubin and other speakers. (viewable on Zoom)

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch with Death Cafe discussion/Barbara Karnes’ New Rules of Hospice video.

Psychic Tammy Holmes

Psychic Tammy Holmes

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Grief Insights from Beyond the Veil with noted psychic Tammy Holmes. (viewable on Zoom)

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Veterans’ Care and Funeral Benefits with Bosque Trails Social Workers. (viewable on Zoom)

3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Five Wishes workshop – introduction to the Five Wishes form and opportunity to fill out the document. (viewable on Zoom)

November 2 Evening Event: Mortality Movies Showing and Discussion

Location: Death Doula Professionals, 1724 Moon Street NE, ABQ, NM 87112

6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Watch a film related to the day’s theme of hospice, and stick around for an insightful conversation. Attendees to vote on the choice of the 2007 film Two Weeks or the 2024 film His Three Daughters.

Register Here

Sunday, November 3, 2024: Before I Die NM Festival Day Three

  • Location: Death Doula Professionals, 1724 Moon Street NE, ABQ, NM 87112
  • Theme: Preparing for the Inevitable

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Check in/coffee

Speaker Kimberly Harms, DDS

Speaker Kimberly Harms, DDS

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. “Let’s Get Ready! Everything You Need to Know Before You Go” with Dr. Kimberly Harms. Her talk explores the need to go beyond traditional estate planning and get our affairs in order emotionally. Acquire actionable steps for developing an Emotional Insurance Plan, and learn practical strategies for fostering forgiveness, reconciliation, and emotional healing within personal relationships. Her latest book is “Are You Ready? How to Build a Legacy to Die For.” (viewable on Zoom)

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. “Planning for Peace: How Death Doulas Complete the Puzzle” with Death Doulas Danielle Slupesky and Brooke Nutting. This presentation will explore the vital role death doulas play in the end-of-life journey. By integrating the expertise of death doulas into end-of-life planning, attendees will discover how to enhance comfort and understanding, ultimately completing the puzzle of a peaceful transition.

11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Death Café conversation over lunch – an opportunity to discuss mortality concerns, openly and honestly.

Speaker Kathy Dempsey

Speaker Kathy Dempsey

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. “Shed Before You’re Dead” Downsizing panel discussion with Kathy B. Dempsey, RN, MED, CSP, Dr. Kimberly Harms, and Miriam Ortiz Y Pino with More Than Organized on the benefits of culling our massive amounts of stuff and ways to do it. (viewable on Zoom)

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. “Would You Hold a Living Funeral for Yourself?” with Kathy Dempsey, who is also a death doula who has helped clients hold their own funerals while they are still alive. (viewable on Zoom)

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Book signing with Kathy Dempsey and Kimberly Harms.

November 3 Evening Event: Mortality Movies Showing and Discussion

Location: Death Doula Professionals, 1724 Moon Street NE, ABQ, NM 87112

6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Watch a film related to the day’s theme of discussing and planning for end of life issues, and stick around for an insightful conversation. Attendees to vote on the choice of the 1971 cult classic Harold & Maude or the 2007 film The Bucket List.

Register Here

Monday, November 4, 2024: Before I Die NM Festival Day Four

  • Location: South Valley Multi-Purpose Senior Center, 2008 Larrazolo Rd. SW, ABQ, NM 87105
  • Theme: Unexpected Deaths

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Check in/coffee

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.  Indigent cremation and burial in Bernalillo County, Diane Chavez, Operations Manager for General Services, Bernalillo County. (viewable on Zoom)

10:30 a.m. – noon The Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) in New Mexico, Lauren Dvorscak, Deputy Chief of OMI. (viewable on Zoom)

Noon to 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Death Cafe

1:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. “Your Clock is Ticking: Are You Ready?” In this highly interactive session with Kathy Dempsey and Dr. Kimberly Harms, learn about unexpected death and how to prepare for it, as time runs out for individuals in the audience. (viewable on Zoom)

3:00 – 3:50 p.m. Panel on Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) with Sherry Burns, Deborah Dugan, and Leah Becker from End of Life Options New Mexico (viewable on Zoom)

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. “Peace of Mind” with Karla Barela Lucero, Advance Planning Consultant, French Funerals and Cremations (viewable on Zoom)

November 4 Evening Event: Mortality Movies Showing and Discussion

Location: Death Doula Professionals, 1724 Moon Street NE, ABQ, NM 87112

6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Watch a film related to the day’s theme of unexpected deaths, and stick around for an insightful conversation. Attendees to vote on the choice of the 1991 film My Girl or the 2006 film The Queen.

Choose your registration level:

  • $20 – Provides online Zoom access and for in-person attendees, a goodie bag with A Good Goodbye DVD set.
  • $40 – Includes a copy of the book, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.
  • $60 – Includes a T-shirt from A Good Goodbye (Sizes M-L-XL-XXL)
  • $80 – Includes registration for the Murder and Mayhem Cemetery Tour October 26.

Register Here

Thank you to our sponsors!

The Before I Die New Mexico Festival is made possible by the support of: