$500 million wedding, 1 sinking city: Jeff Bezos' Venice bash sparks uproar

Business Standard

6 days ago

Venice is buzzing with star power and controversy this week as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez arrive in the city for their opulent, three-day wedding celebration.
Despite the glamour of super yachts, private jets, and a guest list packed with global celebrities, many locals are pushing back, calling the celebration an invasion of their city's fragile ecosystem and social fabric.
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, have reportedly invited around 200 guests for the high-profile nuptials, set to begin on Thursday and wrap up on Saturday. The couple has kept the exact location of the ceremony under wraps, but speculation is swirling around two venues: the Church of the Abbey of Misericordia and the Arsenale, reported news agency AFP.
Bezos' mega-yacht 'Koru' is expected to anchor near San Giorgio Maggiore island, which lies directly across from St Mark's Square and has reportedly been entirely booked for the event. According to Corriere della Sera, at least 95 private planes have requested landing clearance at Venice's Marco Polo airport ahead of the celebration.
The star-studded guest list is said to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Mick Jagger, Orlando Bloom, and Ivanka Trump. Venice's finest hotels have also been reserved for the weekend, transforming parts of the city into a high-security zone.
But not everyone is rolling out the red carpet.
'Venice is not a billionaire's playground'
Locals and activists are voicing growing frustration at what they see as the commercialisation of their city — a Unesco World Heritage Site under increasing environmental and demographic stress. Around 100,000 tourists stay overnight in peak seasons, while thousands more flood the city for day trips, leaving behind little more than footprints.
Tommaso Cacciari, 47, who leads the 'No Space for Bezos' protest movement, said the event treats Venice 'as if it were a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with inhabitants, with frailties, with problems".
Speaking to news agency AFP, he warned that such events are 'condemning Venice to a definitive death".
Protesters also plan an aquatic demonstration, with bodies, boats, and inflatable animals filling the canals in a symbolic attempt to reclaim public space.
In addition, Greenpeace added its voice to the criticism, condemning the event's environmental footprint. The organisation pointed to the irony of billions being spent on luxury while the city itself is 'sinking under the weight of the climate crisis".
A giant banner was unfurled in St Mark's Square this week, featuring a laughing Bezos and the message: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.'
Sanchez, who participated in a Blue Origin space flight earlier this year, has also been criticised for her public support of climate action while engaging in high-emission activities.
City officials respond
Despite the uproar, city officials insist the wedding won't disrupt Venice. Simone Venturini, the city's tourism councillor, told AFP, 'It is just one of many events that the city hosts on a daily basis. It is also relatively small in terms of the number of people involved.'
The couple's Sicilian wedding planner, Lanza & Baucina, has been tasked with minimising disturbances, while reports suggest Bezos and Sanchez have made charitable donations to support the city. They are also working with local artisans, including Venice's oldest pastry maker, Rosa Salva, who is preparing traditional 19th-century 'fishermen's biscuits' for the wedding party. Favours are also expected to include handblown Murano glass from renowned studio Laguna B.