Lighting of Yoko Ono´s Imagine Peace Tower in Viðey

A peaceful ceremony will take place on the island with a musical performance by Una Torfadóttir and an address by the Mayor of Reykjavík. Organized guided walks will also be offered. Ferries to Viðey are sponsored by the artist, Yoko Ono, and depart from Skarfabakki starting at 17:30.

The Imagine Peace Tower is an outdoor artwork by Yoko Ono, inaugurated in Viðey in 2007. It has become a powerful landmark in the city and serves as a vital reminder for us all to uphold the ideals of peace—especially in times when wars rage across the world. Yoko Ono created the tower to carry forward the peace message she and her husband John Lennon shared. She dedicated the work to him, and it shines every year from his birthday on October 9 until the day of his death, December 8.

The tower’s beam of light, which illuminates the night sky, originates from a wishing well inscribed with the words “Imagine Peace” in 24 languages—a reference to John Lennon’s song Imagine. As with many of Ono’s artworks, the piece is not limited to one place or moment but is connected to her participatory artwork Wish Tree, found in various locations worldwide. Visitors write wishes for peace and well-being and hang them on the trees. These wishes are later collected and stored in the Imagine Peace Tower in Viðey island. Beneath the tower now lie nearly one million wishes gathered from people all around the globe.

Yoko Ono (b. 1933) is a leading figure in experimental and avant-garde art. She has been closely associated with the artistic movements of the 1960s, including conceptual art, performance, Fluxus, and event art, and was one of the few women who actively participated in them. Many of her most famous works are participatory in nature, inviting the public to become co-creators. The Wish Trees are a prime example of this approach.

Ferries and Buses
On October 9, Yoko Ono is offering free ferry rides to Viðey for the lighting ceremony at 20:00. Ferries will depart from Skarfabakki at 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, and 19:30, with return trips after the event as needed. Each booking is limited to 5 tickets, and a total of 1,200 tickets are available. More information is available on Elding’s website.
Free buses will run from Reykjavík City Hall to Skarfabakki. The first bus departs at 17:30, with service continuing until 19:00.
The first return ferry after the lighting leaves Viðey at 20:30. From 20:40 and onward, buses will transport passengers from Skarfabakki back to City Hall until all guests from Viðey have returned.

Program of Events

17:45 Guided walk by Reykjavík Art Museum on works by Richard Serra and Yoko Ono

18:00 Historical walk by Reykjavík City Museum

18:45 Guided walk by Reykjavík Art Museum on works by Richard Serra and Yoko Ono

19:00 Historical walk by Reykjavík City Museum

Lighting Ceremony

19:45 Musical performance by Una Torfadóttir at the Peace Tower

19:58 Address by Reykjavík Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir

20:00 Lighting of the Imagine Peace Tower accompanied by Imagine by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Refreshments will be available at Viðeyjarstofa.