If you thought Venice’s canals were just for gondolas and honeymooners, think again. This month they’re doubling as protest zones, as locals gear up to give billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez a wedding reception they’ll never forget — whether they want to or not.
Bezos, the Amazon founder and world’s third-richest man, is set to marry Sánchez, who you may remember from that cursed 11 minute space trip, in a three-day extravaganza rumoured to cost around $10 million. Festivities are set to stretch from June 24 to 28.
The couple’s 200 person guest list reportedly includes Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Ivanka Trump, and Kim Kardashian, per Vogue. The venues? Venice’s most exclusive hotels, the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia, and, naturally, Bezos’ $500 million superyacht, Koru, which is so massive it can’t even squeeze into the Grand Canal.
But while the A-listers are packing their designer luggage, some Venetians are prepping banners, boats, and, yes, possibly a few air horns.
Venice has always been a magnet for the rich and famous — remember the Clooney wedding? But this time, the city isn’t rolling out the red carpet. Protesters, led by the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, have plastered banners across landmarks like the Rialto Bridge and the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore, declaring the billionaire persona non grata. Their beef? The wedding, they say, is the latest example of Venice being treated as a billionaire’s playground, while locals are priced out and public services wither.
“We’re not protesting the wedding per se, but a vision of Venice as a city that people come and consume,” organiser Marta Sottoriva told Euronews.
Others are more direct: “Bezos arrogantly believes he can take over the city and turn it into his own private party venue,” said protest leader Tommaso Cacciari to Reuters.
The protest plans are as Venetian as they come: activists are threatening to block canals with boats, inflatables, and “bodies”, making it tricky for Bezos’ guests to get to the party. There’s talk of disrupting water taxis, crowding the city’s narrow alleys, and generally making a racket — though, so far, no one’s confirmed if the wedding cake is actually in danger of going sideways.
The movement isn’t just a handful of keyboard warriors. Last week, around 300 locals gathered near the Rialto Bridge, waving signs and vowing to “obstruct the canals, fill the streets with our bodies, and block the waterways with inflatables, dinghies, and boats”, as protest organiser Federica Toninello told the crowd. The group’s Instagram is full of updates, calls to action, and some pretty creative memes.
Meanwhile Venice’s officials don’t see any issue. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro insists the wedding will bring an economic windfall, not chaos, and that the city is working closely with organisers to ensure “no abnormal disruption to anyone”.
“Only two hundred guests will have been invited and therefore it will be easy for Venice to accommodate such an event, without any disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors. Our city has much experience in international events much larger than this,” Brugnaro said in a March statement.
“We are mutually working and supporting the organisers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city.”
This conversation is happening amongst growing concerns of overtourism in Europe. Just last week, thousands took to the streets in cities across Spain, Italy, and Portugal to protest the overwhelming impact of mass tourism.
In Barcelona, protesters armed with water guns doused tourists and shouted slogans like “Your holidays, my misery” and “Mass tourism kills the city”, per The Independent.
Similar scenes played out in Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Venice itself, where locals argued that the relentless influx of visitors is driving up rents, pushing residents out of their homes, and turning vibrant neighbourhoods into transient tourist zones.
In short, the wedding of the century might just become the protest of the century — and Venice’s canals could be the stage for a very different kind of drama.
Lead image: Getty / No Space For Bezos / Instagram
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