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A few moments from the Death Festival 2026 at the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion near Bendigo.
I went along expecting to take only a few photographs, but the more I listened to what was happening throughout the day, the more interesting the event became.
The festival brought together conversations we do not often have openly — death planning, natural burial, grief, remembrance, end-of-life wishes and the different ways people can approach funerals and farewells.
What surprised me was how much life there was around those conversations. There were talks inside the Great Stupa, people writing and reflecting, the Community Departed Altar and light offerings, meditation with Atisha Centre, a blessing ceremony with monks from Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery, a colourful Hat Dance at the Peace Park, families moving through the grounds, and finally the burning ceremony on the Stupa concourse.
Through the camera, the day moved between quiet moments and very visual ones — thoughtful faces, conversations, colour, movement, ceremony, smoke and fire.
It never felt like a dark event. It felt open, curious and very human.
I was not there to document every part of the festival, so this is not a complete record of the day. These are simply the moments that caught my attention while I was there.
A small visual story about a community willing to talk about death — and, in doing so, think a little more deeply about life.
