Learn to cope with grief and loss through Singapore’s first grief festival

Losing a loved one is an inevitable part of life and it is never easy. As many people struggle to cope with such loss, Grief Matters, a movement by Montfort Care, has organised Singapore’s first grief festival to show bereaved persons that they are not alone and provide support in their journey of healing.

Tapestries of Grief, Singapore’s first festival on grief and loss, will be taking place from Sep 4 to 25. Through talks, workshops and an art exhibition, the festival aims to facilitate learning and understanding of grief, loss and support for those who have lost a loved one. 

Throughout the festival, an art exhibition entitled Tapestries of Grief: Witnessing Through Art Therapy will be on display at Plaza Singapura. Highlights of the exhibition include “remembrance balls” made by bereaved persons as well as the “yarn butterflies” made by helping professionals. 

A series of free-by-registration talks and workshops will also be held throughout the festival, both online and at Plaza Singapura.  

The talks will be held online, with professionals and bereaved persons covering a diverse range of topics including how parents who lose their child to suicide cope with loss, healthcare workers’ experiences with grief and the unexpected importance of pre-planning funerals.

The workshops will mostly be held at Plaza Singapura and will delve into the different ways one can express their grief, for instance through poetry, music and art.

Senior director of Grief Matters at Montfort Care Chee Wai Yee said: “Grieving is often so personal, yet it is a universal experience – all of us are bound to encounter loss in our lives, in one way or another.

“Through Tapestries of Grief, we hope to give voice to and offer support for bereaved persons, and to encourage reflections and conversations on how we – as family members, friends, colleagues and members of a community – may weave strands of support into the tapestry of a person’s grief experience.”

If you would like to find out more about the festival or sign up for the free talks and workshops, do visit their website here.