With this weekend marking a half century since John Lennon and Yoko Ono put on their pjs and asking the world to protest the Vietnam War, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel has several events planned to commemorate the famous Bed-in.
The hotel is offering tours of Suite 1742, the room where Lennon held the protest, which features a small museum dedicated to the protest. In the lobby, photographs from Life Magazine photographer Gerry Deiter will be on display until Oct. 9. Deiter spent a week with Lennon and Ono, capturing unique images of the Bed-in.
Joan Athey, an author who wrote the book ‘Give Peace a Chance: John and Yoko’s Bed-in for Peace,’ said the photos “transmit the sincerity of the message they were getting across.”
A benefit concert on May 30 will raise money for Amnesty International. That show will features DJs Genevieve Borne and Eve Salvail, Beyries, Joel Denis, Jonas Tomalty, Kevin Parent, Les Porn Flakes, Lulu Hughes and, Mirian Baghdassaran and Yann Perreau.
The hotel is offering a special year-round Bed-in package. The $2,999 booking offers fans a chance to stay in Suite 1742, breakfast at Roselys restaurant, two pairs of white pajamas, caligraphed lyrics of ‘Give Peace a Chance,’ which the couple recorded with numerous famous friends in the room, and a book of photos.
Carmel Masse, who has the package booked on the anniversary itself said he will try and take Lennon and Ono’s message to heart.
“For me, the symbolicism of the bed… you look at the ceiling, at the floor and look for the peace inside you,” he said.
