Demystifying Death Week 2026
Demystifying Death Week is about shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. We are encouraging people to get involved by holding in-person and online events that bring death, dying and bereavement into the limelight.
Demystifying Death Week takes place across Scotland from 4-10 May 2026. If you are organising an event that you’d like us to feature, please get in touch.
Below is a list of events happening across Scotland and online for Demystifying Death Week:
QMU: Sue Ryder Grief Kind screenings for staff
Organised by QMU Bereavement Working Group
4-10 May
QMU campus, Queen Margaret University Way, Musselburgh EH21 6UU
This event is for QMU staff.
Demystifying Death Week is held across Scotland each May and is about giving people knowledge, skills and opportunities to plan and support each other through death, dying, loss and care. Conversations about death and dying may be difficult. They are also important.
As part of the QMU Bereavement Charter working group’s commitment to the Bereavement Charter Mark*, we are hosting screenings of the Sue Ryder Grief Kind classes alongside a facilitated discussion on the content and issues arising from them. These expert video tutorials, which are freely available online, are designed to help you support others with grief. The working group recognises the value of sharing and reflecting together as we collectively work to address the culture of bereavement support in QMU.
All staff are warmly invited to attend one of these sessions, held in person on campus.
*QMU was awarded a Bereavement Charter Mark in 2024 to recognise the?commitment to?creating a workplace culture that supports its employees with resources, information and conversations related to death, dying,?bereavement?and grief.
Image credit: Sue Ryder Grief Kind video still
Crafting stall pop-up: Why Wait Until They Die?
Organised by Diane Willis, Edinburgh Napier University School of Health & Social Care
Monday 4 May at 12:30
Gyle Shopping Centre, Gyle Ave, Edinburgh
This activity is open to the public.
There will be an information/crafting stall with postcards and/or butterflies to write messages on.
There are three activities:
- Why wait until they die - here people can write messages about people to tell them how much they mean to them – rather than waiting until they have died!
- Reasons to be fearful – tell us what worries you about death and dying.
- A community tapestry – here people will be able to cut out a butterfly or paint a lace one to pin on a blank canvas which will form a community tapestry of remembrance.
The Corpse Road
Organised by Daniel Serridge & Heather Cartwright
Sunday 3 May, 7:30pm
Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh
This event is open to the public. Please purchase tickets in advance.
Across Cumbria, roads wend their way through picturesque countryside. Ancient dry stone walls hold the stories of the dead that were carried past on these secret and haunted trails. The Corpse Road follows the rise and fall, the twists and turns of these paths to tell the tale of characters that were carried to their final resting place. Storyteller Daniel Serridge and musician Heather Cartwright weave stories and songs together in this evocative and unnerving folkloric journey to the grave.
This event is part of Tradfest and the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s 25th anniversary.
Find out more and get tickets here.
Cinco de Mayo
Organised by Newtongrange Community Garden
Saturday 2 May, noon
Newtongrange Community Garden
This event is open to the public. Please register in advance.
Join us at the Community Garden for a vibrant Cinco de Mayo celebration! As part of Demystifying Death Week, we’re coming together to honour and celebrate the lives of loved ones we’ve lost, inspired by the beautiful remembrance traditions of Día de los Muertos.
Bring along a cherished photo and craft a special frame to hang on our ofrenda tree—a shared space of memory, love, and reflection.
Wear your brightest colours and enjoy a lively atmosphere filled with traditional Mexican music, face painting, and even a bouncy castle for some extra fun. Savour delicious food specially prepared by Lepords & Lillies Event as we gather outdoors to share memories, laughter, and joy.
Let’s celebrate life together in a warm, welcoming space—everyone is invited!
This is a pay-what-you-can event, but tickets are required—please book in advance to secure your place.
Book your place here.
Demystifying Death Day
Organised by Glasgow School of Art’s School of Innovation & Technology, NHS Forth Valley and Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
29 April 2026, 2-5pm
Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art, 164 Renfrew St, Glasgow G3 6RQ
This event is open to the public. Please register in advance.
Following the success of rural initiatives hosted by Strathcarron Hospice, the Glasgow School of Art with NHS is hosting a specialised showcase at the Reid Building. This event brings the “Serious Games” project into a central urban hub, providing a unique opportunity for NHS leadership, practitioners, and the public to engage with innovative tools designed to navigate bereavement and end-of-life care.
Featured Highlights:
- Powers, Puzzles and Prescience Escape Room: An immersive narrative experience developed by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.
- Student-Led Prototypes: High-level projects from GSA’s Innovation and Technology programmes that use game mechanics to facilitate difficult conversations.
- NHS-Developed Tools: Practical, evidence-based games currently being trialled within healthcare settings to improve “Grief Culture.”
The showcase will also feature prototypes created as part of the Undergraduate Serious Games Elective Games (Analogue), the Post Graduate Serious Games (Digital), and proposed MSc Projects from 2026 in Digital & VR Research.
These prototyped and in-progress concepts explore the intersection of technology, social enterprise, and community wellbeing.
Find out more and register here.
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