Cemeteries no longer just for the dead: Spaces have a new life of their own

It all began with Rudolph Valentino.

The silent movie star, one of cinema's first sex symbols, is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, one of many celebrities interred there. Showing his movies for the devoted fans who showed up to remember him decades after his sudden and shocking death in 1926 at just 31, the cemetery's operators noticed the gathering grew year after year.

Why not host more movie nights, especially in the final resting place of Hollywood royalty: Judy Garland, Cecil B. DeMille, Mickey Rooney, Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks, to name a few, they thought?

"We had to find a creative way to find income," said Hollywood Forever co-owner Yogu Kanthiah, especially after spending nearly $20 million to fix the mausoleums and grounds of the Los Angeles cemetery, which dates to 1899.

Hollywood Forever isn't the only cemetery offering programs beyond the usual historic tours and talks. Visitors at many U.S. cemeteries can check out movie screenings, market days, concerts, art installations and dance and theater performances. Some are even finding ways to change the conversation around death itself − and bringing life to spaces previously thought of only for the dead.

The cemetery was "run down" when Tyler Cassidy and Kanthiah purchased Hollywood Forever in 1998, and it was facing financial challenges. "The events bring us additional revenue, but also awareness," Kanthiah said.

Hollywood Forever now not only hosts movie screenings, which attract as many as 3,800 people, it also offers musical performances, podcast tapings, literary readings and the largest Day of the Dead observance in the U.S. That celebration of Mexican culture, now in its 25th year at Hollywood Forever, draws 30,000 people.

Cemeteries as public spaces: 'A new, old thing'

Sarah Chavez is executive director for The Order of the Good Death, a nonprofit founded by Caitlin Doughty, a mortician and writer who's advocated for changes in the funeral industry. The group works to bring awareness and understanding to end-of-life issues and dying, emphasizing that they're a natural part of life.

Cemeteries, Chavez, said, used to be public parks, green spaces in increasingly crowded cities where families could stroll, picnic and take in natural beauty. They were so popular some even had to sell tickets to control crowds.

"It's a new, old thing" for cemeteries to once again be gathering spaces, said Chavez, a founder of the Death Positive Movement and host of the "Death in the Afternoon" podcast.

"During the lockdowns (in 2020), cemeteries were one of the only safe places in some cities," she said. "New audiences were discovering their value and importance."

At Hollywood Forever, employees from nearby Paramount Studios often stroll the grounds when they want a break or eat lunch as they watch peacocks strut along the grounds, Kanthiah said.

Markets, installations, bookclubs and more

Laurel Hill, a historic 265-acre cemetery and arboretum in Philadelphia, is located within a trail system so it's a regular walking and hiking spot for city residents, president and CEO Nancy Goldenberg said.

"There is a resurgence of interest and use of cemeteries as common public space, the way it used to be," she said. Laurel Hill hosts death cafes, bookclubs, movie screenings, even horticulture therapy to help people deal with grief.

Laurel Hill's annual Market of the Macabre, an outdoor festival "of all things macabre and curious" with more than 80 local artists and vendors, was held on a beautiful September day this year and drew 5,000 people, described by Goldenberg as "overwhelmingly successful and fun."

Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn is, like Laurel Hill in Philadelphia, a historic green space that became an oasis as the once-bucolic borough grew increasingly urbanized around it.

Harry Weil, Green-Wood's vice president for education and public programming, said that even though autumn is the cemetery's busy season, it does not host Halloween programming.

"We are an active cemetery with burials and cremations every day," he said. "We are in some ways trying to demystify the cemetery. We don't want people to think it's a ghoulish space, or only a place to visit during spooky season. This is a place visitors can engage with throughout the year, from taking in our landscapes to seeing art installations or dance performances."

Green-Wood's events range from lighting installations on its mausoleums to concerts in its catacombs. It partners with local arts organizations and one of its signature events, Nightfall, includes illuminated paths through the cemetery where visitors will find musicians, storytellers, circus performers and short films.

It also hosts Day of the Dead and Juneteenth observances and a commemoration of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn.

A good time for good causes in a sacred space

Chavez, with The Order of the Good Death, said people sometimes forget that cemeteries adhere to "perpetual care practices," meaning that those buried there and their loved ones choose them because they believe the grounds will always be cared for and maintained, preserved and protected.

Laurel Hill, like Hollywood Forever and Green-Wood, is still an active cemetery with burials, funerals and loved ones visiting their departed every day. It operates on three pillars, Goldenberg said: eternal rest and "what we do around death"; recreation and Laurel Hill's role as open public space; and civic value, its place in Philadelphia's history.

"The more people that are welcomed in, the more visibility it gets," she said. "The more people we win over, the more there are who understand how steeped in history this place is."

Weil said Green-Wood's events help the cemetery recruit the next generation of people who will appreciate its value: "As a cemetery fills up and time goes by, families stop visiting. So how do we get the next generation to love the space and want to invest in the space?"

'This is not Carnegie Hall'

Goldenberg, Weil and Kanthiah each said they've never encountered any serious problems with anyone acting disrespectfully. People, each of them said, seem to understand they're in a space that is sacred and requires a certain decorum.

Green-Wood's events help them keep educating the public, so higher-end activities finance low-cost and free events for the wider community.

"We tell people this is not Carnegie Hall," Weil said. "This is not a traditional opera house or museum or concert hall."

Still, he said, "The whole point of a cemetery, historically, is that it's meant for the living. It’s the living who decide what memorials go up and how often they visit. What we’re doing is expanding who those people are. It’s important for us to be mindful in our programming, and be respectful in what we do."

Kanthiah said some events − an annual remembrance of Johnny Ramone, who's buried there; and the big Day of the Dead observance − are parties, with food and music and fun, a way to celebrate the lives people lived and the ones who are still living it.

Goldenberg said Laurel Hill has recorded oral histories from longtime residents of the neighborhood where it's located − a neighborhood that's seen a great deal of growth and change. They've woven those oral histories into tours, with video and audio components.

She's heard from people who chose Laurel Hill specifically because it's a place still full of life, too. "They're big supporters of the cemetery being used; they love to see life here."

The Order of the Good Death wants people to understand the cultural differences around how we think about death, Chavez said. "If people deem a practice or an event disrespectful or undignified, I usually ask, who gets to decide what's disrespectful? What is undignified?"

Other cultures, she said, enjoy "honoring the dead through life-affirming activities. Meals, noise, enjoyment, are all ways of honoring the dead and creating spaces to grieve in healthy ways."

She, too, has heard from people who want to find cemeteries that are meant as much for the living as the dead. "In death, people still want to be connected to life, whether through nature or with events and celebrations."

Contact Phaedra Trethan by email at ptrethan@usatoday.com, on X (formerly Twitter) @wordsbyphaedra, or on Threads @by_phaedra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cemeteries no longer just for the dead. Spaces now host many events.