Protesters in Venice are celebrating what they call a “major victory” after billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, TV host Lauren Sánchez, were forced to move the main event of their wedding away from the city’s historic center.
While the exact location of the lavish three-day celebration has not been officially disclosed, it was initially expected to culminate with a reception on Saturday at the iconic Scuola Grande della Misericordia, one of Venice’s grandest buildings. However, local officials confirmed to the BBC that guests have instead been redirected to the Arsenale di Venezia, a former naval base located farther from the city center.
The change comes amid a wave of public protests against the presence of Bezos, one of the world’s richest individuals. Demonstrations were led by the group “No Space for Bezos,” which condemns the extravagance of the event and its impact on a city already overwhelmed by tourism and threatened by climate change.
“We’re so proud of this! We have no money or power, yet we managed to push out one of the most powerful people on Earth,” activist Tommaso Cacciari told the BBC.
The wedding, set to begin later this week, has drawn a star-studded guest list rumored to include Kim Kardashian, Mick Jagger, and Leonardo DiCaprio. A surge of private jets is expected to flood Venice’s airport, while luxury yachts are anticipated to crowd the city’s port. Five hotels are reportedly fully booked, and former U.S. marines have allegedly been hired to provide security.
The scale of the event has sparked outrage from multiple sectors, including local residents opposed to overtourism, environmental activists, and critics of Bezos’s political ties toU.S. President Donald Trump.
In recent days, Venice has been covered with protest banners, many reading “No Space for Bezos.” On Monday, a group calling itself “Everyone Hates Elon” unveiled a giant image of Bezos in St. Mark’s Square bearing the slogan: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes.”
“Our protest isn’t about the wedding itself, but about what it represents,” said Simona Abbate, a Greenpeace activist. “This isn’t just the union of two people—it’s the celebration of an unsustainable lifestyle. The wealthiest live in excess while others suffer the consequences of a climate emergency they didn’t cause.”
City authorities, however, have pushed back strongly. Simone Venturini, Venice’s councilor for economic development, dismissed the protests as “ridiculous” and claimed the demonstrators do not represent the city. “These visitors are a vital source of income. The activists behave as if they own Venice, but they don’t,” he told the BBC. He also emphasized that all events are being held on private property and that the guest list, limited to 200 handpicked attendees, will generate significant economic benefits.
Still, overtourism remains a pressing issue in Venice. Like many cities in southern Europe, locals say their quality of life is being diminished by a constant influx of visitors. Additionally, climate change continues to place the lagoon city at high risk of flooding.
Although local authorities have introduced a daily tourist fee of five euros, activists argue the measure has done little to stem the tide of arrivals.
Some protesters had planned to jump into the canals with inflatable alligators to block the movement of the rich and famous and disrupt the festivities. While that action was ultimately called off, “No Space for Bezos” still plans to hold demonstrations at a city building later this week and has called for a public march on Saturday night as a final show of dissent.
