Musicians and Londoners celebrated the International Day of Peace with a night of music, words and images. Wendy Lewis, one of the vocalists, gives her account of the night.

London, England – The 24th of September at the 52 Club, a basement hangout near London University. The place is packed, music throbs through the air, people are squeezed onto the dance floor like sardines in a tin and there isn’t an inch of seating space in the house.

As one of the organisers, it was particularly satisfying to see the smiles on people’s faces and the many requests to do more of the same in other parts of the UK.

I’m a part of a small team of volunteers who’ve been working on this event for the past three months. Some of us are musicians, others simply lovers of music — but we all share the passion to organise a music event with a difference.

Our aim is to create an occasion that’s inspiring as well as fun. Music has the power to touch people the world over and convey a message that is hard to express in any other way. The message we would like to express is one of real peace, within and without.

So what better excuse than the International Day of Peace on the 21st of September?

None of us are professionals and the learning curve has been steep. Our first event was held in a pub in South London. It was successful enough for us to know we were onto a good idea, and several people enjoyed it so much they offered to help. Our team started to grow.

We were delighted when Jeremy Gilley, who began the International Day of Peace, sent his best wishes for our event and promoted it on his websites.

Preparations for Friday’s event began early. By three the place was a hive of activity. By six, guests were arriving. And by 7:30, the official start time, everyone was listening to the hauntingly beautiful voice of Julianne Bastock who had travelled from Birmingham. I was next on stage with my Indian fusion songs.

People often ask me if I get nervous before I sing. The answer is ‘yes’, but it’s a lot better when the audience is warm and appreciative. And that’s the way it was that night. The nerves faded and enjoyment took over.

Asta Philpot, who had travelled from Leeds, followed me and captured the mood in the room with a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.

After the break the MC, Sally Fisher, introduced a four-minute clip of Prem Rawat’s message. “Do you want to do something really fun, really cool, really worth doing?” it began. ‘Then help to bring peace on Earth’. The audience exploded.

The Navigators UK then kicked off their set and invited everyone to dance. Guest singer, Daya, got up and joined them and I, for one, sailed away on the beauty of her rich sultry voice.

By the end of the night all the singers were at the mics and everyone was dancing. The atmosphere felt extraordinary. I got the same comments from many people: wonderful music and wonderful ambience. Even when the event was over no one wanted to go home. The place was still buzzing as the last pieces of equipment were packed away.

Watch a short video created by the author in honor of the event:

Video courtesy of Wendy Lewis, and photos in video courtesy of NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Project (STScI/AURA).

Photos courtesy of Nitesh Mistry.