Activists plot to crash Jeff Bezos’s lavish Venice wedding

As billionaire Jeff Bezos prepares for his extravagant wedding in Venice next week, local activists are launching a parallel mission: to disrupt the celebration and protest what they see as a troubling symbol of wealth, privilege, and the commodification of their city.

The wedding, reportedly costing around €10 million and expected to draw 200 high-profile guests, has sparked backlash from Venetians who feel increasingly alienated in their own city. For them, the opulence of Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez’s nuptials reflects a broader issue, which is Venice being sold off to the highest bidder.

Will Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding be disrupted by Venice activists?

Marta Sottoriva, a key organiser of the No Space for Bezos campaign, told press that their protest isn’t about opposing a marriage, but the deeper message it sends. “We are not protesting the wedding per se, but a vision of Venice as a place to consume,” she said, describing Bezos as a “symbol of wealth built on exploitation,” referencing Amazon’s anti-union stance and his appearance at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Venice, she argued, has become a playground for tourists and luxury events, pushing out locals through rising rents, closed services, and a general loss of identity. The protest movement sees Bezos’s high-profile wedding as the ultimate manifestation of this shift. Already, banners denouncing Bezos have been unfurled across the city, including one boldly draped on the San Giorgio Basilica’s bell tower.

Posters have also popped up announcing plans for a major protest on 28 June. The demonstrations, Sottoriva says, will be peaceful but disruptive—activists plan to block roads, crowd canals with boats and kayaks, and even jump into the water. Music and street performances will give the protests a festive spirit. “It’s going to be a party for the city, too,” she said.

While Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro has embraced the wedding, calling it an “honour” and a sign of the city’s global prestige, protesters see it differently. “We don’t need Bezos,” Sottoriva insists. “We need housing, fair wages, and a sustainable future.”

Venice, once a city of history and art, now finds itself at the heart of a modern battle between tourism, wealth, and the rights of its people.

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