Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death®

Announcing the 4th Annual Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival

Sep 22, 2020 | 0 comments

Before I Die New Mexico Festival

Online Pandemic-Safe Events Taking Place at www.BeforeIDieNM.com

Like many other in-person events impacted by the pandemic, the 4th annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival is going online as a virtual, safe experience. The four days of death-positive conversations and experiences will take place October 30 to November 2, 2020, at www.BeforeIDieNM.com.

“Prior to the novel coronavirus, in-person death discussion movements and festivals were sprouting up across the globe. This pandemic has brought mortality issues to top-of-mind awareness, prompting people to learn about death and plan for end-of-life,” said Gail Rubin, CT, pioneering death educator and coordinator of the festival.

The Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival has entertaining and educational elements which include:

  • Behind-the-scenes virtual video tours of funeral homes, cemeteries and other interesting locations.
  • Lively panel discussions: “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews” (BYOB), “Funeral Directors on Working in Coronavirus Hot Spots,” “Prospects for Medical Aid-in-Dying in New Mexico,” “The Woo-Woo Side of Death,” and “Where the Bodies are Buried,” all about cemeteries.
  • Daily book discussions with authors on a range of end-of-life topics.
  • Speakers and workshops on planning ahead, advance healthcare directives, New Mexico culture around death, and giving new life to our “stuff.”
  • Daily Death Cafe conversations about mortality issues and questions.
  • Online live theater performances of short one-act plays related to mortality written by Los Alamos playwright Robert Benjamin, with follow-up discussions.
  • A VIP Halloween Experience, featuring Day of the Dead goodies, film clips, a “Show and Tales” game and other fun online interactions.

Tickets and Discounts Now Available!

Tickets for Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival events range from one-day passes for $20 to the VIP Experience at $100. Tickets are now on sale online here: https://beforeidienm.com/virtual-festival-tickets-on-sale/

Learn more about all activities and events at www.BeforeIDieNM.com. A $15 discount on all ticket levels are available through these Festival sponsors:

  • In Albuquerque, call Daniels Family Funerals & Cremations at 505-842-8800.
  • In Santa Fe, call Avista Cremation & Burial in Santa Fe at 505-438-2959.
  • In Espanola/Los Alamos, call DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory at 505-438-2959.
  • In Taos, call DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory at 866-657-4019.

The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) recognized the 2018 Before I Die New Mexico Festival with their KIP Award for Best Event.

It Won't Kill You to Discuss Death at Before I Die Festivals

Festival Sponsors

The Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival is made possible by:

A portion of the sponsorship proceeds and ticket sales from the Before I Die NM Virtual Festival will be donated to 501(c)(3) charitable partners Fathers Building Futures, making “caskets for a cause” (www.FathersBuildingFutures.com), and Albuquerque’s Historic Fairview Cemetery, est. 1881 (www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org).

The festival is coordinated by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and the Doyenne of Death® with A Good Goodbye. Festival sponsorship opportunities are still available by calling Gail Rubin at 505-265-7215.

A Good Goodbye