Festival 2025

Remembrance Campfires on Portobello Beach

Organised by Action Porty in collaboration with celebrant Loretta Dunn

1 Promenade, Portobello Beach

Sunday 2 November, 2-4pm

This activity is open to the public. Please register in advance.

Join us for our annual festival of storytelling and reminiscence celebrating the lives of our loved ones who have died.

This powerful event is now in its sixth year. Like in previous years, where participants shared photos and stories of loved ones round mini-campfires, this year there will be a central campfire, which all are welcome to join us at.

The event remains free to attend as it is subsidised by Action Porty, in recognition of the important compassionate role this festival plays in the community.

The event is free to attend but ticketed to allow us to prepare for numbers attending.

If you are attending alone you will be very welcome to sit yourself or to mingle with others.

There will be a creative station where participants will be offered the opportunity to decorate a stone with their loved one’s name which will later be placed in the sea around 4pm, drawing the event to a natural close.

No matter where you are on your grief journey, you are welcome.

Please remember to be prepared for all weather conditions and bring along something to sit on for your own comfort. This is an outdoor event in November in Scotland so please come dressed warmly and for the weather whatever it might be. The intention is for fires to be on the sand on the beach but if accessibility is a concern, please let us know and we’ll work something out.

While all precautions will be taken and fire wardens will be present, these are real fires and attendees are asked to be fire sensible and come along at their own risk.

Children are welcome in this outdoor space under the same terms and there will be creative opportunities for them to express themselves too.

Toilets will be available at Bellfield.

Register your place on Eventbrite.

Photo credit: Jon Davey Photography