Jeff Bezos has moved his wedding celebrations with Lauren Sánchez from Venice’s historic center to the Arsenale district following sustained protests by local activists. The Amazon founder’s original plan to host Saturday’s main event at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia was scrapped after groups like No Space for Bezos and Greenpeace plastered anti-billionaire posters across the city and hung protest banners from canal bridges.
Tommaso Cacciari, leader of the activist movement, declared the relocation an “enormous victory” for ordinary Venetians against the super-rich elite, boasting that grassroots pressure had forced “one of the most powerful people in the world to run away.”
The controversy shows Venice’s existential struggle between preservation and tourism, with protesters arguing the three-day wedding extravaganza—featuring Kim Kardashian, Mick Jagger, and Trump family members—epitomizes how the city has become a “background for billionaire parties.” Over five luxury hotels have been fully booked for the event, while private jets and megayachts descend on the fragile lagoon city. Simona Abbate of Greenpeace Italy condemned the spectacle as “an unsustainable display of excess” during a climate emergency, noting the irony of carbon-intensive celebrations in a city increasingly threatened by rising sea levels.
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Venice councilor Simone Venturini dismissed protesters as “a tiny minority,” insisting the 200-guest wedding would provide vital income for local businesses. The city has implemented a €5 tourist tax to manage over-tourism, but activists argue it fails to address the root problem—with 65,000 daily visitors overwhelming the 50,000 remaining residents. While planned canal blockades with inflatable alligators were canceled, protesters will stage a final march on Saturday and project anti-Bezos messages on buildings.
