The Philadelphia Death and Arts Festival imagines that any Philadelphian who will die, or loves someone who will die, will have access to a culture of dying that centers our humanity, our care for each other, and our love for the greater world.

Watch the 20-minute documentary about our inaugural festival below

We gather people to grapple with death in ways no other platform does

"This wasn’t a typical conference or academic gathering. It was something far more experimental and communal. The open-air installations, the care with which presenters and performers approached their work, and the intentional blending of art and advocacy made this feel like a true festival of life through death."

—Attendee and Death Worker
"There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of curiosity. I was struck by how excited/enthusiastic people were. I felt like people really wanted to connect and share their experiences with grief and with death."
"Very significant the comfort around talking about death, somehow. Didn't feel taboo, but rather welcomed, joyful in the solemnity & truth. I felt I had met community who could meet my grief where it was at as opposed to feel sorry for me. Even if there was not always direct communication around it between us, I felt like I had opened a practical doorway to how my continued grieving self can interact and be in community with others, enmeshed with art."

Description goes here
"I felt I had met community who could meet my grief where it was at as opposed to feel sorry for me. Even if there was not always direct communication around it between us, I felt like I had opened a practical doorway to how my continued grieving self can interact and be in community with others, enmeshed with art. "
"To be able to focus on grief, loss and the inevitable, dying so openly was something i did not know i needed, yet did. it cracked me wide open. Thank you."
"This was a FANTASTIC festival and I'm so glad I was able to attend due to your accessible pricing options. Thank you for making this important information available to more people!"
"The diversity of artistic offerings—from performance to visual art to panel discussions—made the weekend feel vibrant and expansive. "
"I know that one day after my parents die, I will write you all and tell you how the show with them was one of the greatest gifts you could have ever given to me.
"I think that PDAF embodies a truism about deathcare which is that in order to draw people in, you need to find the intersection of death and something else to facilitate people wanting to enter the space and I think art is a really expansive way to do that because it is naturally creative and I think is especially accessible for BIPOC folk/traumatic/sudden death grievers."

-Isabel Knight, The Death Designer, Philly Community Deathcare
[I was excited by] the way people gathered. There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of curiosity. I was struck by how excited/enthusiastic people were. I felt like people really wanted to connect and share their experiences with grief and with death.

Our flagship, biennial festival

Our biennial (ish) festival is a catalyst. Artist-led, it generates a communal watershed of approaches, ideas, and conversations with the hundreds of artists, deathworkers, and attendees.

At the festival, we offer:

live performances

by visionary artists

practical education

led by brilliant death workers

reflective spaces to rest,

process, and connect with others

Next one scheduled for 2028.

EXPLORE PAST FESTIVALS

The 2025 Festival

Our first festival ever took place at the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery and hosted performances by 5 featured artists along with 9 workshops and 3 reflection spaces

See the Full Festival Program Here

NON-FESTIVAL EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES ACROSS PHILLY

Programming Across Philly

These programs are tributaries: embedded in Philadelphia’s cultural centers, senior organizations, and with groups of friends and loved ones. They allow for intimate conversations that deepen over time and inform the festival weekend.

Upcoming Events Across Philly

Jan 1

Our next event will be featured here

Upcoming Events will be featured here! Signup for our newsletter to stay up-to-date.

Watch the 20-minute documentary about our inaugural festival below

We gather people to grapple with death in ways no other platform does

"There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of curiosity. I was struck by how excited/enthusiastic people were. I felt like people really wanted to connect and share their experiences with grief and with death."

"To be able to focus on grief, loss and the inevitable, dying so openly was something i did not know i needed, yet did. it cracked me wide open. Thank you."

"This was a FANTASTIC festival and I'm so glad I was able to attend due to your accessible pricing options. Thank you for making this important information available to more people!"

"The diversity of artistic offerings—from performance to visual art to panel discussions—made the weekend feel vibrant and expansive. "

"I know that one day after my parents die, I will write you all and tell you how the show with them was one of the greatest gifts you could have ever given to me.

[I was excited by] the way people gathered. There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of curiosity. I was struck by how excited/enthusiastic people were. I felt like people really wanted to connect and share their experiences with grief and with death.