Travel: John Lennon – the Bahamas to Toronto – 25 May 1969
Sunday 25 May 1969 | John Lennon, Travel
On 25 May 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono abandoned their planned second bed-in for peace in the Bahamas and flew to Toronto, Canada — the first leg of a journey that would take them to Montreal, where the famous bed-in would ultimately take place. Despite being held at Toronto airport for over two hours by immigration authorities, they were eventually admitted to the country and spent the night at the King Edward Sheraton Hotel.
The Plan: A Second Bed-In
The first bed-in for peace had taken place at the Hilton Amsterdam in March 1969, when Lennon and Ono spent their honeymoon in bed and invited the world's press to come and discuss peace. It was a characteristically Lennon-esque piece of conceptual theatre — using the machinery of celebrity media attention, which would have followed them anywhere, and redirecting it toward an anti-war message at the height of the Vietnam conflict.
The second bed-in was intended to take place in the United States, where the anti-Vietnam War movement was at its most intense and where the media reach would be greatest. But Lennon had been refused entry to the US on the grounds of his 1968 cannabis conviction in London — a conviction he always maintained was the result of a police fit-up. The Nixon administration, which regarded Lennon as a dangerous political agitator, would later make strenuous efforts to have him deported from the US entirely. For now, America was simply closed to him.
The Bahamas: A Miscalculation
With the US unavailable, Lennon and Ono flew from London to the Bahamas on 24 May, intending to hold the bed-in at the Sheraton Oceanus Hotel in Freeport. The logic was proximity to the United States — close enough, they hoped, to attract substantial American media coverage.
The reality on the ground was different. The Bahamas were further from the US mainland than they had anticipated in terms of media logistics, and the prospect of spending a week in bed in the sweltering Caribbean heat was, practically speaking, unappealing. Footage from the hotel captures the moment of recalibration: Lennon working the phones, trying to arrange an alternative venue, while the plan quietly unravelled around him.
It was Derek Taylor — Apple Corps' press officer and one of the most important behind-the-scenes figures in The Beatles' story — who resolved the situation. Taylor announced that he had booked a direct flight from Freeport to Toronto at 5pm. Lennon's response, captured on film, was to strum his acoustic guitar and sing: "Good old Air Canada!"
Toronto: Immigration Trouble
Canada was a logical alternative to the US — close enough to the American media market to generate coverage, and not subject to the same entry restrictions Lennon faced south of the border. But the Canadian authorities were not entirely welcoming either. Despite eventually being admitted, Lennon and Ono were held at Toronto airport for over two hours by immigration officials before being allowed to enter the country.
The detention was a reminder of the political dimension of Lennon's peace activism. By May 1969 he was not simply a pop star — he was a figure that governments actively monitored and, where possible, obstructed. His 1968 drug conviction had made him a target for immigration authorities across the English-speaking world, and the bed-in campaign had made him a visible and vocal opponent of the Vietnam War at a moment when that position carried real political weight.
They spent the night at the King Edward Sheraton Hotel in Toronto. The following day, 26 May, they flew to Montreal.
The Montreal Bed-In
The Montreal bed-in took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel from 26 May to 2 June 1969. It was everything the Bahamas could not have been: a media event of global proportions, with journalists, celebrities, activists, and politicians filing through the hotel suite throughout the week. Guests included Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Dick Gregory, and Rabbi Abraham Feinberg.
It was during the Montreal bed-in, on 1 June 1969, that Lennon and Ono recorded 'Give Peace a Chance' — with a room full of guests singing along — using a simple setup of two Ampex machines. The song was released as a single on 4 July 1969 under the name Plastic Ono Band, credited to Lennon–McCartney (though McCartney had no involvement). It became an anthem of the anti-war movement and remains one of the most recognisable protest songs ever recorded.
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor (1932–1997) was one of the most important and least celebrated figures in The Beatles' story. A journalist by background, he became The Beatles' press officer in 1964 and, after a period working in California — where he became a central figure in the San Francisco counterculture scene — returned to Apple Corps as press officer in 1968. Taylor was witty, warm, and extraordinarily well-connected, and his ability to manage the chaos of Lennon and Ono's peace campaign — including moments like the Bahamas miscalculation — was characteristic of his role throughout the Apple years.
Key Facts: 25 May 1969
- Departed: Freeport, Bahamas (Sheraton Oceanus Hotel)
- Arrived: Toronto, Canada
- Flight: Direct Freeport–Toronto, Air Canada, 5pm departure
- Booked by: Derek Taylor (Apple Corps press officer)
- Toronto hotel: King Edward Sheraton Hotel
- Immigration delay: Over two hours at Toronto airport
- Next destination: Montreal, 26 May 1969
- Bed-in venue: Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, 26 May – 2 June 1969
- Result: Recording of 'Give Peace a Chance', 1 June 1969
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the bed-in for peace?
A series of non-violent protests organised by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969, in which they spent time in bed and invited the world's press to discuss peace. The first was held in Amsterdam in March 1969; the second, after the Bahamas detour, took place in Montreal in May–June 1969.
Why couldn't Lennon hold the bed-in in the United States?
Lennon had been refused entry to the US following his 1968 cannabis conviction in London. The Nixon administration later made sustained efforts to have him deported from the US entirely, viewing him as a political threat.
Why did Lennon abandon the Bahamas?
The Bahamas proved further from the US media market than anticipated, and the heat made a week-long bed-in impractical. Derek Taylor booked a flight to Toronto the same day.
What happened at the Montreal bed-in?
The bed-in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal ran from 26 May to 2 June 1969. On 1 June, Lennon and Ono recorded 'Give Peace a Chance' with a room full of guests. It was released as a single on 4 July 1969 and became a defining anthem of the anti-war movement.
Who was Derek Taylor?
Derek Taylor (1932–1997) was Apple Corps' press officer and one of the key behind-the-scenes figures in The Beatles' story. A former journalist, he managed the media dimension of Lennon and Ono's peace campaign and was instrumental in arranging the move from the Bahamas to Toronto.
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