As the historic city of Venice prepares to host what is expected to be one of the most opulent weddings of the year—the union of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez—a chorus of local voices is rising in protest. While for some, the arrival of the world’s fourth-richest man and a parade of celebrities is a cause for celebration, for many Venetians, it is a stark reminder of how their beloved city has become a playground for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of everyday life. At the heart of the discontent is not merely the wedding, but a deeper, more long-standing issue: the devastating impact of overtourism on Venice.
A City Strained by Mass Tourism
Venice, with its timeless canals, breathtaking architecture, and rich cultural history, has always been one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Its beauty, however, comes at a cost. The city’s main island—just two square miles in size—is home to only around 50,000 residents but receives nearly 20 million visitors every year. While tourism is a lifeline for Venice’s economy, the sheer scale of it has transformed the city into a fragile showcase rather than a functioning home for its citizens.
Cruise ships, day-trippers, and short-stay visitors flood the narrow alleys and canals, overwhelming infrastructure and displacing residents. Traditional housing is converted into vacation rentals, essential services disappear, and the cost of living continues to climb. The once vibrant local communities are hollowing out, replaced by souvenir shops and overpriced cafes catering to tourists rather than locals.
Venice locals plan to block the canals in protest of Jeff Bezo’s wedding! 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/rKNAfS4ndN
— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) June 20, 2025
Against this backdrop, the Bezos-Sánchez wedding feels to many like the latest example of how Venice is increasingly serving the interests of outsiders over its own citizens. Protesters are not simply targeting the couple but also city officials who they accuse of prioritizing glamour and global headlines over sustainability and the well-being of locals.
‘No Space for Bezos’: A Message from the People
Protests erupted throughout Venice as news of the high-profile wedding spread. One banner, draped over the iconic Rialto Bridge, read “No Space for Bezos,” capturing the spirit of frustration among residents. The phrase isn’t just a personal attack on the billionaire couple but a statement against the broader issues Venetians face due to unchecked tourism and political decisions that seem to favor the elite.
“We want to send a very clear message: The ones who should be ashamed are them,” said protester Federica Toninello, directly challenging Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who had earlier expressed embarrassment over the protests. Toninello and others argue that figures like Bezos represent a class of billionaires whose presence, however temporary, symbolizes the increasing commercialization and gentrification of the city.
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Venetians’ anger doesn’t stem from the idea of celebration or celebrity itself—it comes from the sense that their city has become an exclusive backdrop for the world’s wealthiest, while ordinary people are priced out, pushed aside, and largely ignored. The protesters’ slogans and banners are a cry for help, a demand to reclaim their city from those who treat it as a luxury commodity.
The unrest in Venice also aligns with a broader wave of discontent across southern Europe. Protests against mass tourism have taken place not just in Venice but in Barcelona, Mallorca, and Lisbon. In some instances, tourists were even sprayed with water guns—a provocative yet symbolic gesture of resistance. The message is unified and clear: local communities are no longer willing to suffer in silence as their cities are overrun.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Wedding
Despite the protests and the growing dissatisfaction among locals, city officials in Venice have made it clear that they consider the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s Wedding a matter of pride. Mayor Brugnaro lauded Bezos, saying he had “achieved great things on a global level” and that the city was “extremely proud” to host him.
A statement from the city hall echoed this sentiment, claiming that the wedding would “blend into the daily rhythm” of Venice. Officials emphasized that only a small number of water taxis and hotels were reserved for the event and assured that regular transportation would not be disrupted. “The city is fully accustomed to hosting high-profile events,” they insisted, comparing the wedding to previous international summits and celebrity occasions like the 2014 wedding of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin.
Yet such reassurances ring hollow to many residents. To them, the issue is not about logistics or the number of water taxis reserved—it is about a sense of cultural and social erosion. Hosting an event for the ultra-wealthy, even with minimal disruption, sends a symbolic message about whose interests are prioritized.
The city’s attempt to manage tourism—such as the introduction of a €5 daily entrance fee for day-trippers—has been criticized as too little, too late. While such measures aim to control the flow of visitors, they do not address the structural issues that have allowed Venice to be commodified. What locals are demanding is not token policies or symbolic limits, but a fundamental reevaluation of who the city is for.
Mayor Brugnaro’s assertion that the protests do not represent the majority of Venetians may serve political convenience, but it dismisses the growing disillusionment among those who still call Venice home. For the protesters, the arrival of Bezos is not a cause for celebration—it is a reminder of what they have lost.
The controversy surrounding Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding in Venice has ignited a passionate debate about the future of one of the world’s most iconic cities. At the heart of the protests is a simple but powerful question: whose Venice is it?
For decades, the city has walked a fine line between welcoming the world and preserving its soul. But as billionaires host lavish weddings and tourists arrive by the millions, that line has begun to blur. The people of Venice are asking for more than just recognition—they are demanding agency over their own city.
Bezos’ wedding may last only a few days, but the issues it has brought to light will endure. The protests serve as a potent reminder that the beauty of Venice is not just in its canals and cathedrals, but in its communities—communities that are now fighting to survive. Whether those voices will be heard remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Venetians are no longer willing to stay silent.