Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s lavish Venice wedding triggers backlash over citywide disruptions

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s high-profile wedding in Venice is drawing sharp criticism from locals, who say the extravagant celebration is turning their city into a playground for the ultra-wealthy at their expense.

The couple’s nuptials are set for June 24 on the picturesque island of San Giorgio Maggiore, but preparations have already sparked controversy.

Reports claim the couple has booked five luxury hotels and reserved the city’s entire fleet of water taxis

These reports are fuelling fears of massive disruption during Venice’s peak tourist season. Residents are bracing for sweeping security measures, restricted access to public spaces, and heavy police presence, all of which locals say highlight the city’s ongoing struggle with overtourism and environmental degradation.

“It’s going to be a great big nuisance,” Francesca, a local tour guide, told The Guardian. “We’re exasperated by the endless problems linked to overtourism, and this wedding is just the latest thing being forced on the city.”

Environmental concerns are compounding the outrage, with critics pointing to the expected carbon emissions from private jets and lavish festivities. Activists argue the event underscores a broader issue: Venice’s increasing transformation into a backdrop for billionaires and celebrity events.

The Laboratorio Occupato Morion, a local political group, has announced plans to protest the wedding. A provocative flyer circulating online shows Bezos riding a rocket, accompanied by the slogan, “No space for Bezos, no space for oligarchs!”

The flyer condemns what it calls the “mercification” of Venice and accuses the Amazon founder of representing a dangerous form of capitalist excess.

“This is just the beginning,” said Alice Bazzoli, a spokesperson for the group. “Bezos embodies everything that global movements have long opposed, an oligarchy of wealth and technology that exploits workers, damages the planet, and controls entire populations.”

While Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has confirmed the wedding will go ahead, insisting that the city and organizers are working together to ensure the event respects Venice’s cultural and environmental sensitivity, critics aren’t convinced.

“He’s sold the city out,” Bazzoli said, accusing the mayor, who has faced past allegations of corruption, of prioritising billionaire interests over residents.

Not everyone is opposed. Some locals argue that large-scale events like this are part of the city’s identity and economic model. “Are people just jealous of the rich?” asked Giusi Giudice, a tour guide who sees such events as routine in Venice’s tourism-driven economy.

Meanwhile, activists from Venezia Non è Disneyland (Venice Isn’t Disneyland), a group advocating for more sustainable tourism, say the backlash is being felt across social media.

“We hosted Pope Francis last year. Surely we can tolerate a wedding too,” one member said.

Bezos, 61, and Sánchez, 55, have been a high-profile couple since their relationship became public in 2019 following Bezos’s divorce from MacKenzie Scott. Sánchez finalized her own divorce from Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell before the couple announced their engagement.