October 9 marks what would have been John Lennon’s 84th birthday, and for the 18th consecutive year, the Imagine Peace Tower memorial on Videy Island near Reykjavik, Iceland, will be lit in the late Beatles legend’s honor.
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The tower was designed by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, and was built in 2007. The memorial is lit annually from October 9 until December 8, the date Lennon was killed in 1980.
The Imagine Peace Tower is an artwork that’s meant to symbolize the work that Lennon and Ono have done to promote worldwide peace. The memorial, which resembles a wishing well, shines a series of strong beams of light into the sky. Inscribed on the Peace Tower is the phrase “Imagine Peace” in 24 different languages.
A lighting ceremony will take place at 8 p.m. local time/4 p.m. ET. During the gathering Icelandic music artists Valdimar Gudmundsson and Örn Eldjárn will perform, and Reykjavik’s mayor Einar Thorsteinsson will give a speech. As is the tradition, Lennon’s classic peace anthem “Imagine” will be played immediately after the tower is lit.
The ceremony and live footage of the tower can be viewed at ImaginePeaceTower.com and at the memorial’s official YouTube channel.
More About This Year’s Ceremony and Commemoration
Free ferry rides, paid for by Ono, will be available from Skarfabakki terminal in Reykjavik to Videy Island, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time.
In addition, the Reykjavik Art Museum and Reykjavik City Museum will host a special commemorative program from 5:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time. The program includes a walk through the artwork of Ono and late sculptor Richard Serra at the art museum, and a history walk led by the Reykjavik City Museum.
New Lennon Documentary Also Opening in Theaters on October 9
Also on October 9, the new Lennon-themed documentary Daytime Revolution will open in dozens of theaters.
As previously reported, Daytime Revolution focuses on Lennon and Ono’s weeklong stint as guest co-hosts of The Mike Douglas Show in 1972. The movie delves into the improbable time when Lennon and Ono basically took over Mike Douglas’ popular daytime talk show for five days in February 1972. In addition to co-hosting the program, the couple produced the episodes and chose the guests who appeared on the shows.
Among the guests who visited the show that week were consumer advocate Ralph Nader, anti-war activist Jerry Rubin, Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, comedian George Carlin, and, perhaps most famously, Lennon’s musical hero Chuck Berry.
Among the highlights of Lennon and Ono’s takeover of the talk show were a number of musical performances, including a duet with Berry, and a poignant rendition of “Imagine.”
Daytime Revolution also will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 26.
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