The Amsterdam Hilton Hotel on Thursday began a series of festivities to mark the 40th anniversary of the bed-in for peace held there by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969.

The couple, who had just married, stayed in bed in their hotel suite from March 24 to 31. Now the Hilton is opening up the room, which normally costs €1,750 a night, so Beatles fans can take a look.
Dutch journalist Jan van Galen, who has written a book about the event, told the NRC that although some people thought the bed-in was fantastic, others were not so sure. ‘But it was a time of protest and it did have an incredible impact,’ he told the paper.
Photographer Govert de Roos, who was 15-years-old when he bluffed his way into the bed-in, told the NRC there are parallels with today. ‘Back then we were angry at capitalism and engaged in senseless wars. And now we’re in the same mess.’ he said.
In addition to opening the suite, the Hilton is also running a photo exhibition under the title From Holland with peace (March 21-29), a Lennon memorial day with music by Beatles cover bands (March 29) and an exhibition of Lennon’s art curated by Yoko Ono (April 2 to June 21).
At the Galerie Moderne in Amsterdam there is an exhibition of the photos taken during the bed-in by Dutch photographer Nico Koster.