ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. October 16, 2025: The Before I Die New Mexico Festival and Death is Not a Dirty Word Resource Fair drew an enthusiastic crowd of more than 200 attendees on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Albuquerque. An additional 60 participants joined virtually via Zoom for three panel discussions exploring everything from psychedelic therapy for grief to practical end-of-life options in New Mexico.
Festival organizer Gail Rubin, CT, known as The Doyenne of Death®, said attendees expressed heartfelt appreciation for the depth and breadth of the day’s programming. “So many people came up to thank me for organizing such a comprehensive and inspiring event,” Rubin said. “Our goal is to make it easier—and even uplifting—for people to talk about death, plan ahead, and live more fully in the meantime.”
The Death is Not a Dirty Word Resource Fair gave festival sponsors and community partners the opportunity to connect with motivated attendees eager to learn about everything from green burial and hospice to estate planning and death doulas.
Other activities included a Death Café discussion, screenings of episodes of the Mortality Movies TV series, and Wind Phones, unconnected old fashioned phones which allow people to speak to their deceased loved ones “across the wind.”
While rain cut short the ABQ Skeleton Crew’s outdoor concert after six songs, Rubin noted, “It’s hard to complain about rain in New Mexico, though the weather gods clearly have no regard for electronic equipment!”
Festival co-organizers Jane Westbrook and Ramsey Lofton, along with fair coordinators and death doulas Danielle Slupesky, Brooke Nutting, Nikki Neuen, and Kelly Saindon, were recognized for their efforts in making the event a success. Rubin also extended thanks to the festival’s generous sponsors: A Good Goodbye; Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living; Bosque Trails Hospice; End of Life Options New Mexico; First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque; French Funerals & Cremations; Keeper Memorials; and Passages International.
Recordings of the three featured panels, on plant medicine and psychedelic assisted therapy, dying in New Mexico, and the workings of the Office of the Medical Investigator and Bernalillo County’s Indigent Program, will be posted online in the coming weeks.
With such a strong response, discussions are already underway for a bigger and even more dynamic Before I Die New Mexico Festival in 2026.
About Before I Die Festivals
Before I Die Festivals are designed to spark meaningful conversations about mortality, encouraging participants to plan ahead for a good goodbye. Through film, panels, art, and humor, these events transform a traditionally taboo topic into one of connection and celebration. Learn more at www.BeforeIDieFestivals.com.