A humanist funeral is a non-religious ceremony, led by a trained celebrant, built entirely around the life of the person who has died – no hymns, no prayers, no reference to an afterlife. It’s one of the fastest-growing funeral formats in the UK, and one of the most misunderstood: many families assume “non-religious” automatically means “civil,” when the two are different in a specific and useful way.
This guide explains what a humanist funeral involves, how it differs from a civil ceremony and a religious one, what a typical service includes, what a celebrant costs, and how to arrange one. If you’re still deciding between funeral formats altogether, the “other types of funeral” section further down covers burial, cremation, direct cremation, and natural burial alongside humanist and civil ceremonies.
What is a humanist funeral?
A humanist funeral is a ceremony conducted by a trained, accredited humanist celebrant, with no religious content of any kind. According to Humanists UK, the organisation that trains and accredits the great majority of humanist celebrants in the UK, a humanist funeral offers “a personal and fitting way to say goodbye” – a ceremony built entirely around the person who died, their life, their relationships, and what mattered to them, rather than around religious ritual or belief.
There are no hymns, no prayers, and no readings from religious texts. Humanists UK’s own guidance confirms the ceremony is explicitly non-religious throughout – it doesn’t reference an afterlife or religious doctrine of any kind. Anyone attending, whatever their own beliefs, is welcome: those with faith are free to reflect or pray silently during quiet moments in the service, but the ceremony itself contains no religious content.
Humanist funerals have a long history in the UK – Humanists UK’s members pioneered the format as far back as 1896 – but they’ve become substantially more mainstream in the past two decades, tracking the UK’s long-term shift away from religious identification.
Humanist vs civil vs religious funerals: what’s the difference?
This is the most common point of confusion, and it’s worth addressing directly, because “humanist” and “civil” are often used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.
A civil celebrant is neutral on religion. They’ll tailor the service to whatever the family wants, which can include as much or as little religious content as suits the person who died – a hymn here, a prayer there, a Bible reading if that reflected the deceased’s beliefs, sitting alongside entirely secular elements. A civil ceremony is flexible by design; there’s no fixed worldview behind it.
A humanist celebrant, by contrast, works from a specific and consistent position: the ceremony is non-religious from start to finish, regardless of whether some people attending are themselves religious. Humanist celebrants are trained and accredited specifically in humanist values – the idea that a life has meaning and worth in its own right, without reference to religion or an afterlife.
A religious funeral is led by a minister, priest, imam, rabbi, or other faith leader, and follows the structure and content of that faith’s funeral rites.
| Factor | Humanist funeral | Civil funeral | Religious funeral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Led by | Accredited humanist celebrant | Civil celebrant | Faith leader (minister, priest, imam, rabbi, etc.) |
| Religious content | None, by design | Flexible – as much or as little as the family wants | Follows the faith's own rites and texts |
| Structure | Built from scratch around the person's life | Built from scratch, family's choice of content | Follows an established religious liturgy |
| Music | Any music the family chooses | Any music the family chooses | Usually hymns or faith-specific music |
| Best suited to | Someone who held clearly non-religious views, or a family who wants a consistently secular service | A family who wants flexibility, including a mix of religious and non-religious elements | Someone with an active faith practice or a family who wants to follow their religious tradition |
If the person who died was actively non-religious – an atheist, agnostic, or humanist themselves – a humanist ceremony reflects that most consistently. If the family wants more flexibility, including the option to bring in some religious elements without a full religious service, a civil celebrant may be the better fit.
What’s typically included in a humanist funeral?
Humanist celebrants build each ceremony from scratch. Per Humanists UK’s own FAQs, the celebrant will typically meet the family – often for several hours – to learn about the person who died before writing a script tailored entirely to them.
A typical service includes:
- A personalised tribute or eulogy, written by the celebrant from what the family shares, covering the person’s life, character, and relationships
- Music of the family’s choosing – there’s no restriction to hymns or religious pieces; popular songs, classical pieces, or anything meaningful to the person are equally at home
- Non-religious readings and poems, chosen by the family or suggested by the celebrant
- Time for quiet reflection, during which anyone who wishes to pray privately is free to do so
- Family and friends speaking, if they wish, alongside or instead of the celebrant-led tribute
Most services run 20 to 30 minutes, matching a standard crematorium slot, though longer or double slots can be booked for a more elaborate ceremony. If you’re building the physical programme for the day, our guide to creating an order of service covers structure, printing, and how many copies to order. If you’d like to explore music options beyond hymns – since a humanist service isn’t restricted to traditional choices – our guide to hymns for funerals still covers popular pieces that translate well to a non-religious service, and can help even if you ultimately choose secular music instead.
How much does a humanist funeral celebrant cost?
The celebrant’s fee is separate from the funeral director’s costs and the crematorium or cemetery fee – it covers the celebrant’s time meeting the family, writing the script, and conducting the ceremony.
According to Humanists UK’s own fee guidance, a standard funeral ceremony typically costs £180 to £300 for a single time slot at a crematorium. Last verified: August 2026. Longer, more complex ceremonies, ash-scattering ceremonies, or memorial services held separately may cost more. Humanist celebrants are self-employed and set their own fees, so the exact figure varies by celebrant and location – Humanists UK advises confirming the precise cost directly with your chosen celebrant before booking, along with any separate travel expenses.
This celebrant fee sits within the wider cost of the funeral as a whole. For the full picture of what a UK funeral costs beyond the celebrant – the funeral director, coffin, and crematorium or burial fees – see our guides to funeral costs in the UK and cremation costs in the UK, or our guide to direct cremation if a no-ceremony option is also on the table.
How to arrange a humanist funeral
There are three practical routes to finding a humanist celebrant, and families often combine them.
1. Through your funeral director. Most funeral directors work regularly with local humanist celebrants and can recommend one. It’s worth asking your funeral director to confirm the celebrant is accredited by Humanists UK, since “humanist” isn’t a protected or regulated title in the way some assume.
2. Directly through Humanists UK. Their find-a-celebrant search tool lets you enter your postcode and returns a list of accredited celebrants in your area, whom you can contact directly.
3. Independently, then informing your funeral director. You can find and book a celebrant yourself – through personal recommendation or Humanists UK’s directory – and simply let your funeral director know which celebrant you’ve chosen so the two can coordinate on timing and logistics.
Whichever route you take, the celebrant will want to meet the family – in person, by phone, or by video call – to talk through the person’s life before writing the script. Building in time for that conversation, rather than trying to book a celebrant at the last minute, tends to produce a more personal and accurate ceremony.
Other types of funeral in the UK
Humanist is one of several funeral formats available in the UK, and it’s easy to conflate the choices – “type of funeral” can mean the belief framework (religious, humanist, civil) or the physical format (burial, cremation, direct cremation). Here’s a quick overview of both.
| Type | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional religious funeral | Led by a faith leader, following that religion's rites – often at a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, followed by burial or cremation | Someone with an active faith practice, or a family following their religious tradition |
| Civil funeral | Led by a civil celebrant who is neutral on religion and tailors the content – including any religious elements the family wants – around the person | Families who want flexibility, including the option to mix religious and non-religious content |
| Humanist funeral | Led by an accredited humanist celebrant; entirely non-religious throughout, by design | Someone who held clearly non-religious views, or a family who wants a consistently secular ceremony |
| Direct cremation | Cremation without any funeral service or attendees; a memorial, if held at all, happens separately, later | Families prioritising cost, simplicity, or flexibility over a fixed crematorium slot |
| Natural or woodland burial | Burial in a woodland, meadow, or dedicated natural burial ground, typically without a headstone, often in a biodegradable coffin | Families wanting a lower environmental impact and a more informal setting |
The belief-based choice (religious, civil, or humanist) and the physical-format choice (burial, cremation, or direct cremation) are independent of each other – a humanist ceremony can precede a cremation or a burial, just as a religious service can. If cost or environmental impact is the deciding factor rather than the ceremony’s content, our guides to direct cremation and funeral costs cover those choices in full. If you’re planning or attending a specific faith funeral, our guide to Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh funeral traditions covers what each involves in practice.
Why humanist funerals are becoming more common
Humanist funerals are tracking a longer-term shift in how the UK identifies religiously. The British Social Attitudes survey, run by the National Centre for Social Research, found that 49% of British adults described themselves as non-religious in 2024 – up from 31% in 1983. Humanists UK notes this figure has been trending upward for decades, and the increase is sharpest among younger age groups.
That shift is reflected directly in funeral choices: as fewer people identify with an organised religion, more families are choosing a ceremony that doesn’t assume religious belief, whether that’s a humanist or civil service, in place of the traditional religious funeral that was once close to the default option in the UK.
Summary
- A humanist funeral is a non-religious ceremony led by a trained, Humanists UK-accredited celebrant, built entirely around the life of the person who died. There are no hymns, prayers, or afterlife references.
- It differs from a civil funeral, which is neutral on religion and can include religious content if the family wants it. A humanist ceremony is non-religious throughout, by design.
- Typical elements include a personalised tribute, family-chosen music (not restricted to hymns), non-religious readings, and time for quiet reflection.
- Celebrant fees typically run £180 to £300 for a standard slot, per Humanists UK’s own guidance – separate from the funeral director’s and crematorium’s costs.
- Arrange a celebrant through your funeral director, directly via Humanists UK’s find-a-celebrant tool, or independently.
- Humanist ceremonies are becoming more common as the proportion of UK adults with no religion has risen to 49% (British Social Attitudes survey, 2024).
- If you’re weighing up the physical format of the funeral as well as the ceremony style, see the “other types of funeral” comparison above, or our guides to direct cremation and funeral costs.
Sources
- Humanists UK – fee guidance for celebrants – celebrant fees for humanist funeral ceremonies. Last verified: August 2026.
- Humanists UK – what is a humanist funeral? – explanation of humanist funeral format and content. Last verified: August 2026.
- British Social Attitudes survey, via Humanists UK – proportion of UK adults identifying as non-religious. Last verified: August 2026.