2024 Before I Die New Mexico Festival

The 7th annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival will take place in Albuquerque with four days of death-positive conversations and experiences November 1-4, 2024 at locations around town. Preview events will take place October 24 and 26.

The Before I Die Festival has entertaining and educational elements, including behind the scenes tours, speakers, workshops and panel discussions, Death Cafe and Death Over Dinner conversations, and more. Selected sessions will be available online as hybrid events, with audiences participating both in-person and via Zoom. Online sessions will be professionally coordinated by Keeper, which provides in-person and virtual memorial services and online memorial pages.

Before I Die Festival events include:

• Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews – Death Doula Edition: On October 24, Tractor Brewing Wells Park location hosts a panel discussion of death doulas and young funeral directors.
• Death is not a Dirty Word Resource Fair: (October 26 preview event) 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.
• Murder and Mayhem Cemetery Tour: this preview event is a walking tour on Saturday, October 26. It features true stories of deaths of people buried at Historic Fairview Cemetery. Register for the festival at the $80 level. Tour time choices are at 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
• Death Cafe Discussions: opportunities to discuss mortality questions in a supportive environment.
• Mortality Movies: feature-length films to laugh and learn about end-of-life.
• Behind-the-Scenes Tours of sponsors’ locations and discussions of products and services.
• Informative Speakers: sessions on hospice, downsizing, after-death follow-up, grief, and more.
• Virtual Audiences: Sessions with speakers will be available as hybrid events with in-person audiences and online participants, thanks to Festival sponsor Keeper. Videos will be made available after the festival.

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 at Historic Fairview Cemetery on October 26.

Register online here.

A portion of the sponsorship proceeds and ticket sales from the Before I Die NM Festival will be donated to 501(c)(3) charitable partner, Historic Fairview Cemetery, established in Albuquerque in 1881. The cemetery is the final resting place of 12,000 individuals, with remarkable stories reflecting the history of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the United States of America. The website is www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org.

Festival Sponsors

Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death

A Good Goodbye: Gail Rubin, CT, pioneering death educator, Certified Funeral Celebrant, and informed advocate for planning ahead, she puts the “fun” in funeral planning. She is the coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival and host of the Mortality Movies TV series.

Bernalillo County Indigent Program: The Bernalillo County Unclaimed/Indigent Cremation Program provides a deserved, lawful, proper and dignified manner of disposition for those decedent residents who are indigent or go unclaimed upon death. They handle every case accurately and lawfully with the utmost attention. www.BernCo.gov

Better Place Forests: A natural alternative to cemeteries, Better Place Forests’ nine forests feature more than 100,000 protected Memorial Trees so you can find your forever home in the forest. They have ten memorial forests in California, the Northeast, the Midwest, and in the Southwest near Flagstaff, Arizona. Learn more at www.BetterPlaceForests.com.

Bosque Trails Hospice: Bosque Trails Hospice is a locally owned and operated hospice agency that was founded by experienced Albuquerque area practitioners with over 30 years of collective hospice experience.  Bosque Trails Hospice’s goal is to provide the greater Albuquerque area with the absolute best personalized hospice care available. It was named Best Hospice in the 2024 Albuquerque Journal Reader’s Choice Awards. www.BosqueTrailsHospice.com

End of Life Options New Mexico: End Of Life Options New Mexico provides information and support for all End-Of-Life options, including Medical Aid In Dying (MAID). They provide support and education for advance care planning to ensure people have a clear understanding of their rights and all the options available to them in New Mexico, including medical aid in dying. They are a service provider offering information, resources and education. www.EndOfLifeOptionsNM.org

French Funerals & Cremations: French Funerals & Cremations has served the communities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho for over 115 years, guiding families through loss and grief. Along with four locations to better serve our communities, French Funerals provides a full-service continuum of care through the Cremation Society of New Mexico, and Best Friends Pet Cremation Services, to help ease the burden of loss and assist families in honoring their loved ones in the most meaningful way possible. www.FrenchFunerals.com

Keeper: Keeper’s team of experts make it easy to host a virtual or hybrid memorial service to honor the memory of your loved one. They are honored to work alongside you to help you craft a personalized and heartfelt celebration of life for your loved one. www.MyKeeper.com

Passages International: Passages is dedicated to providing the best, most sustainable solutions to those seeking environmentally-friendly funeral options, including scattering solutions, biodegradable urns, eco-friendly caskets, and dignified cremation containers. Each Passages biodegradable urn comes with one free GEO code for the Etern.life Memorial Map. This GEO code allows families to Mark the Spot where the remains of a loved one lie and create a personal online memorial. www.PassagesInternational.com