Events
York’s Dead Good Festival 2026 (YDGF 2026)
It happens to everyone of us, so why do we find it so hard to talk about death – or even to think about it, let alone prepare for it?
York’s Dead Good Festival re-imagines death, dying and bereavement. It brings to light ways we as a society can do things differently. The more we learn, the more we see the dignity, respect and wellbeing we can bring to the end of life.
Through education, practical information-sharing, music, art, and conversation, we can, together, discover how to accept and prepare for the inevitable, to everyone’s benefit. We hope you’ll join us!
https://www.yorksdeadgoodfestival.co.uk/
A guided tour of a working Pet Crematorium. A peaceful farewell to our loyal pets (YDGF 2026)
A Working Pet Crematorium
A behind-the-scenes look at the whole pet crematorium, including a talk on the history of pet cremation, looking at the cremation room process, followed by a Q&A.
Book via text 07925218372 or email millcottagepetcrematorium@gmail.com
Venue: Mill Cottage Pet Crematorium, Windmill Lane, York YO10 3LG
Free. All ground floor; ground-floor toilet available; normal-door-width access; lots of spacious parking available.
End of Life Doulas - Here for you and your community (YDGF 2026)
End of Life Doulas - Here for you and your community.
Join us at the Marriott Room, York Library, for a free discussion and Q&A on how we can assist you and your family.
Proudly part of York’s Dead Good Festival 2026.
Creative Hand Blessing Workshop - Leaving a legacy
Monday 10:00–11:30 and 14:00–15:30
Thursday 14:00–15:30
Hand Blessings Workshop
Join Francesca King for this unique workshop with clay as meditation and grounding time. Clay Soul Space is where it all happens. With Feet in Clay Meditation and Hand Blessings workshops, families and friends can make time for creativity. If you have any jewellery textures, plants, or anything you would like to impress into the clay, please bring these with you. Water and tea are provided. This is a unique workshop in Francesca's studio, so places are limited to 4 people per session at £36 each. All materials are provided.
Venue: Francesca King Ceramics, 144 Albemarle Road, York YO23 1HB
To book, please phone 07533475929 or email greenfrancesca@hotmail.com
£36 per person for one hand in clay, fired twice, and returned to the client. Postage and packing are extra on request.
Not accessible to wheelchair users
A Dead Good Day at York Library (YDGF 2026)
Dead Good Saturday, York Explore Library. 16 May 2026
Explore • Connect • Talk about what matters
🛍️ Information Fair 9:00–12:00
Exhibitors:
* York End of Life Doulas
* St Leonard’s Hospice
* Sabine Horner, Grief Nutritionist
* Sue Lister Ageing Without
Children
* Sandi Poston, Funeral Celebrant
* York Bereavement Alliance
* Francesca King Remembrance
Ceramics
* Roche Legal Advice & Wills
📍 York Explore, Marriott Room
FREE • Accessible
🎤 Talks
12:00–12:45
Why do we fear death? — Stef Bricklebank
1:00–1:45
Don’t want a traditional funeral? — Chris Dudzinska
2:00–3:30
York Death Café — Open hosted conversation
3:45–5:00
Food for Thought & Healing: The Gut–Grief Connection — Sabine Horner
Songs and Sounds at Pritchett Chapel, York (YDGF 2026)
SUNDAY 17 May – Songs and Sounds at Pritchett Chapel
10:00–11:00
The Swan Song Project
The Swan Song Project is a charity that gives people facing the end of life and bereaved people the opportunity to write and record their own original song. Hear samples of recent songs written to celebrate lives and make memories, as well as live music from one of The Swan Song Project's songwriters, Holly Taymar.
Venue: The Pritchett Chapel, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road YO10 5AJ
Free. Accessible.
11:15–11:45
Therapeutic harp music
Join Emma Yates for a session that will feed your soul. Emma is a performer, harp therapist and teacher.
Venue: The Pritchett Chapel, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road YO10 5AJ
Free. Accessible.
12:00–12:45
Sound Bath with Sounds of Divinity
An immersive sound experience using live instruments such as crystal bowls, chimes and percussion to create soundscapes and harmonies designed to support and soothe listeners gently. Considerations: not recommended for the first trimester pregnancy, unmanaged conditions such as epilepsy, complex trauma and PTSD. This is a seated sound bath concert held in a gentle, open format. You are welcome to come and go quietly and listen for as long or as little as you wish.
Venue: The Pritchett Chapel, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road YO10 5AJ
Free. Accessible.
1:00–1:45
Scarborough Threshold Soft Singers
This session is an opportunity to rest: to sit or lie down; to listen, hum, or sing along to simple lullabies. Threshold singing is not a performance; it typically involves two to four singers at the bedside when someone is receiving care or in palliative care. Today, the simple lullabies will be non-religious and restorative, offering you the opportunity to rest and be refreshed.
Venue: The Pritchett Chapel, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road YO10 5AJ
Free. Accessible.
3:15–4:15
Songs of Love and Death
Acoustic folk trio Steam Pigeon bring early 20th-century American music to the York Cemetery Chapel, showcasing tunes that explore the universal themes of love, loss and death that run through much popular music. The gig is free, but please book on Eventbrite as space is limited. We will be accepting donations for End of Life Doula UK.
Please book on Eventbrite.
Venue: The Pritchett Chapel, York Cemetery, Cemetery Road YO10 5AJ
Free. Accessible.
YDGF 2026 - Songs of Love and Death - Steam Pigeon
Acoustic folk trio Steam Pigeon brings early 20th-century American music and more to York Cemetery's Pritchett Chapel.
As a contribution to York’s Dead Good Festival, the gig will showcase tunes that explore the universal themes of love, loss and death that run through so much popular music. The gig is free, but please book as space is limited.
To book for this event, click on the link: Eventbrite Free Tickets
We will be accepting donations for End of Life Doula UK.
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Narratives of Accompaniment - Women at the End of Life
As part of York International Women’s Week 2026, Dr Emma Clare and Jill Armstrong from End of Life Doulas UK invite women to a shared space to explore Narratives of Accompaniment – Women at the End of Life. Together, we will reflect on what it means to walk alongside others at the end of life, sharing stories, learning from one another, and exploring women’s roles in care, presence, and connection.
No need to book – just turn up.
Want it even tighter for a flyer or socials?
Death Café Acomb
An informal, welcoming, open discussion of death, dying, and related topics with the aim of making this important topic easier to talk about
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.
Where: Acomb Explore Library, Front St, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ
Acomb Death Cafe
Acomb Death Cafe
What: A gathering of people – possibly strangers – eating cake, drinking hot drinks and discussing death.
Why: To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.
How: By sharing, in a safe space, our own thoughts, ideas, experiences, questions and feelings about death and dying.
Who: Volunteer facilitators hosting with the intention of fostering positive conversation, and anyone (18 or older) who wants to join in with people from all walks of life. Whether you've experienced death firsthand, you're anticipating losing loved ones, or you're exploring your own mortality, you can expect authentic, engaging and lively discussion.