Festival 2025
The To Absent Friends festival takes place across Scotland from 1-7 November 2025.
It is an opportunity to remember, to tell stories, to celebrate and to reminisce about people we love who have died. To Absent Friends, a People’s Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance is an opportunity to revive lost traditions and create new ones.
Below is a list of the events taking place around Scotland and online.
Imprints
Organised by Tortoise in a Nutshell
Death Café (Online)
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Organised by Curious Mortals.
Death Cafe: Putting the tea into mortality
Organised by Humanist Society Scotland
Records for Remembrance
Organised by the QMU Bereavement Charter Working Group
Open Mic Night Delight
Organised by North Berwick Coastal Community Connections
To Absent Friends Wander in Holyrood Park
Organised by Humanist Society Scotland
Death Cafe (in person)
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In partnership with Finn’s Place, Battlefield Community Project and Curious Mortals.
Voices & Sister, Sister Choirs - Together in Song
Organised by North Berwick Coastal Community Connections
Duncan Place Reminiscence Cafe
Organised by Duncan Place Community Hub & Enterprise
To Absent Friends Gathering
Organised by the Rooted Willow
Cafe of Reminiscence
Organised by Heart of Yew Ceremonies
Absent Friends & Family
Organised by Toryglen Community Base
To Absent Friends - a meaningful event of remembrance!
Organised by Fuze Ceremonies and Bishopbriggs Crematorium and Westerleigh Group
Remembrance Walk
Organised by Fleur Hoole, celebrant
Creative Workshop for Reminiscence
Organised by Duncan Place Community Hub & Enterprise
Mid-Argyll Death Cafe
Organised by the Mid-Argyll Death Cafe
Reminiscence Café; A Space to remember
Organised by The Junction - Young People, Health and Wellbeing
Remembrance Campfires on Portobello Beach
Organised by Action Porty in collaboration with celebrant Loretta Dunn
The Silent Run
Organised by Run Forever SCIO
Journal Through Time
Organised by North Berwick Coastal Community Connections
RSS