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The Good Grief Festival Weston aims to open up conversations around death and bereavement, encouraging people to think, talk and learn about grief.
There’ll be 30 workshops and events across the eight-day festival, at more than 20 venues in the town, from Monday 1 to Monday 8 May.
Death, like birth, is one of the few universally-shared experiences yet many of us feel scared to face mortality, struggle with grief alone, or worry about how to support bereaved friends and family.
The workshops, performances and grassroot community activities during the festival will provide lots of opportunities to talk openly and honestly about death and loss.
Take part in creative events such as yoga, craft workshops, and even a large-scale community arts project to create a field of forget-me-nots.
The finale of the festival is a family-friendly aerial show, The Guy in the Luggage Rack, in Grove Park on Monday 8 May.
Another highlight is Michael Rosen, one of Britain’s best-loved writers and poets, talking about life, loss and literature. This is now sold out but you can join a waiting list.
See the full list of events on the Culture Weston website.
If you’re finding things difficult, a round-up of support services has been compiled.
Good Grief Weston takes its inspiration from the Good Grief Festival, started in 2020 by Dr Lucy Selman and Dr Lesel Dawson at the University of Bristol.
Since its launch, the virtual festival has reached more than 26,000 people through a programme of free events and its YouTube channel.
Good Grief Weston is produced by Culture Weston, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and Weston-super-Mare community network, and is funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council and UK Research and Innovation.