Humans have a 100% mortality rate, yet less than 30% of us make any end-of-life plans. To get adults to discuss and plan for their eventual demise, the inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival is putting the "fun" in funeral planning October 20 to 25, 2017.

Before I Die ABQ offers multiple upbeat activities for people to openly think about, talk about and do something about our mortality. A wide range of free and low-cost events will be held at numerous locations around Albuquerque, New Mexico. These outside-the-box activities include:

• "Prelude to Eternity" dinner party in the Pavilion at Sunset Memorial Park;
• A panel of local funeral directors on "What You Need to Know Before You Go";
• Death Cafe discussions at city senior centers around town;
• Yoga class "From Child Pose to Corpse Pose: Life, Death, Yoga and Spirituality";
• A tour of historic Fairview cemetery (established 1881);
• "Answering Your Burning Questions About Cremation" information session;
• Panel discussions on "Making Plans to Live Well Until We Die" on medical care and end-of-life issues;
• "Jewish Burial Equals Green Burial" at the Jewish Community Center;
• The Guild Cinema double feature of classic films about life and death, Harold and Maude and The Seventh Seal;
• "Earth, Air, Fire & Water: A Celebration of Cremation and Art" with local artists selling their works in ceramics, paper and other media;
• The Albucreepy Ghost Tour of Downtown Albuquerque landmark buildings;
• A tour of the casket building workshop of Fathers Building Futures.
• "Mindfulness, Mortality and Self-Care," a meditation session with world-renowned teacher Ralph Steele.

Registration for these and other events is now open at www.BeforeIDieABQ.com.

"By providing space and opportunities to openly discuss end-of-life issues, we can improve the percentage of those who plan ahead and take actions to address our mortality," said festival coordinator Gail Rubin, CT, a pioneering death educator, award-winning author and TED speaker. "Right now, more than 70% of our loved ones will scramble to pull together information and make expensive decisions under duress of grief, and it doesn't have to be that way."

Rubin spoke about the Before I Die ABQ Festival in this 7-minute Pecha Kucha 20x20 talk:

Before I Die festivals are part of a growing social movement to foster reflection about how we as individuals and as a society manage death and dying. Before I Die festivals have drawn thousands to events in Cardiff, Wales (UK), Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY. This will be the first such festival west of the Mississippi.

The Before I Die ABQ Festival is being held in partnership with the nonprofit organizations Albuquerque Oasis, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of New Mexico, the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, Fathers Building Futures, Central New Mexico Community College, and the YMCA of Central New Mexico.

Sponsors include:

• French Funerals & Cremations, Albuquerque's largest and oldest family-owned funeral service company;
• The Neptune Society, America's most trusted cremation service;
• Lasting Legacy, Inc., providing Estate and Trust services to New Mexico families;
• Express Legal Solutions, LLC, documents you need at a price you can afford;
• Retirement Extender®, a team of specialists making the most of your finances;
• Morris Hall, PLLC, a premier estate planning law firm;
• My Final Checklist, a master file for personal information; and
• Zia Trust, Inc, serving clients in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and 38 other states.

Event coordinator Gail Rubin is an informed advocate for planning ahead and the author of three books on end-of-life issues. Her books include A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die. Download free planning forms and checklists from www.AGoodGoodbye.com.

Part of the proceeds from Before I Die ABQ will be donated to charitable partner Albuquerque Oasis. Oasis is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that promotes successful aging through lifelong learning, healthy living, and social engagement.

Find more information and register for events online at http://BeforeIDieABQ.com.

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