2024 Before I Die New Mexico Festival
November 1 @ 8:00 am - November 4 @ 5:00 pm
$20 – $100
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 field trips to funeral homes and cemeteries, speakers 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: On October 24, Tractor Brewing Wells Park location hosts a panel discussion of young funeral directors, followed by a showing of the comedy/horror film, Just Buried.
- 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. This fundraiser for the nonprofit organization has separate ticketing, or register for the festival at a higher level. Tour time choices are at 1:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
- Death Over Dinner: have an intimate dinner and discussion with The Doyenne of Death on October 26.
- Death Cafe Discussions: daily opportunities to discuss mortality questions in a supportive environment.
- Newly-Dead® Games: Bingo and The Game for Couples and Singles makes death education an upbeat experience.
- 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 estate and financial planning, 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 – A token of thanks for coordinating the Festival, includes 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.
- $100 – Includes Death Over Dinner on October 26.
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
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.
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