In a tribute to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s iconic 1969 Bed-Ins for Peace, The Beatles Story at Royal Albert Dock is recreating the famous protest as part of its seasonal charity drive.
The Beatles Story Bed-In launches on 30 November 2024, inviting visitors to donate new pyjamas and essentials to support local children and teenagers facing cancer, in partnership with Liverpool-based charity Children’s Cancer Support (CHICS).

In early 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono embarked on two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace – one at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam and the other at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

Knowing their wedding on 20 March would attract a lot of press, the couple used their honeymoon as an opportunity to partake in the non-violent, experimental protests and promote their anti-war message across global media as news of the Vietnam war flooded the headlines. As they sat in bed wearing pyjamas, John and Yoko invited the world’s press into their hotel room every day between 9am and 9pm.

In a revival of a similar campaign the award-winning attraction hosted in 2023, The Beatles Story’s staff will be taking it in turns to participate in a John and Yoko-inspired Bed In at The Royal Albert Dock’s Fab4 Café all day on 30 November and 1 December 2024. Visitors are invited to come along, take selfies with the bed (kindly supplied by Holiday Inn Express Liverpool) and drop off donations of new pyjamas in all sizes, from new-born to adult.

Children’s Cancer Support (CHICS) is a charity that was founded in 1986 to help support children who have been diagnosed with cancer, while providing support to their families. The charity was established by a group of parents whose children were being treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, who felt there was a need for parents to discuss their situation with other people who were going through similar circumstances.