Thailand is hosting its second annual "Death Fest," a fair designed to help people confront mortality through practical services and spiritual guidance. The event tackles a subject often considered taboo, yet it aligns with a core tenet of Buddhism, which profoundly influences Thai culture: the unavoidable sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Among attendees at the three-day event in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was Sangduan Ngamvinijaroon, with her mother. She explained that while death was once difficult for her family, over two decades caring for ill relatives – including her husband after a stroke and family members with cancer – have brought her a greater ease in discussing it.
Ms Ngamvinijaroon praised the fair, stating: "it’s not just about dying well. It’s also about the present moment and taking good care of our lives while we’re still here." The festival gathered experts and organisations, from healthcare and financial planning to palliative care, funeral services, and memorial innovations. Talks and activities focused on preparing for the end of life, alongside maintaining quality of life until one's final days.
“Death involves everybody. It’s not just about you,” said Zcongklod Bangyikhan, editor-in-chief of The Cloud magazine and one of the event’s lead organizers. “Instead of wondering what dying will be like, maybe we should think about how to make things easier for the people who remain after we’re gone.”
One popular exhibit is called “Test Die.” Visitors can lie inside coffins of different sizes and styles while looking at themselves in a mirror suspended above. The experience is designed to prompt reflection rather than fear.
Office worker Phinutda Seehad said it felt calming.
“I don’t think I’m scared of death,” she said. “I also don’t want to die, but when the time comes, I don’t think it will be that frightening.”
One company displayed a biodegradable coffin made from mycelium — the rootlike fibers of fungi — which helps naturally with decomposition.
Founder Jirawan Kumsao said the design reflects a more environmentally friendly approach to burial. Although she brought a human-sized coffin to the event, her company mainly produces coffins for pets.
“It gives people comfort to know they’ve cared for their pets until the very end,” she said. “It looks like a spacecraft, a capsule, for sending them to another world.”
Noppasaward Panyajaray, founder of the online memorial platform Sharesouls, has seen a similar emotional bond. Her service allows users to store photos and share stories about loved ones, creating a digital space where friends and family can leave messages and pay their respects.
She said her original idea was for the platform to preserve memories of family members. But she was surprised to find that many users were creating memorial pages for their pets.
“Many people sent me a message to say thank you, because nowadays we don’t really have any space to store stories or memories about their pets,” she said. “Every pet is meaningful to their owners as much as a family member.”
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