Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez have switched the venue for their lavish wedding reception to a less accessible part of Venice amid security concerns and rising fears of protests.
The billionaire tech-tycoon and his fiancee had earmarked a location in Cannaregio, a popular and central nightlife area of the Italian tourist city, to celebrate after their marriage.
But fears of demonstrations have brought a change of plan, even as guests started arriving for the week-long festivities.
Private jets are clustering at Venice airport, while luxury yachts at anchor in the city’s harbour. Five hotels have been booked out this week for the 250 guests of Bezos and Sanchez, and there are even reports of former US Marines being hired to provide security.
US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been holidaying in Tuscany, are among the invitees. They reportedly visited the factory of luxury sports car maker Ferrari before heading to Venice.
Others said to be on the guest list include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom and his fiancee Katy Perry.
Some local residents and pressure groups have complained for weeks that the Bezos and Sanchez nuptials will turn the scenic city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich, and threatened peaceful blockades.
The wedding ceremony’s location and exact date remain closely guarded secrets, though vows are expected to be exchanged some time between Thursday and Saturday.
The ceremony was reportedly set for Cannaregio’s Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a mediaeval former religious school.
But after a change revealed on Tuesday (local time), the couple’s VIP guests will celebrate at a hall of the Arsenale, a vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district.
Originally a giant shipyard serving the Venetian Republic’s maritime empire, the Arsenale has been restored and converted into an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair.
Surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised, it is considered safer venue than the former school.
Bezos, 61, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and No.4 on Forbes’ billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez, 55, in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott.
The couple’s decision to marry in Venice follows other celebrity weddings in the floating city, including that of US actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014.
“The news that Bezos has run away from the Misericordia is a great victory for us,” said Tommaso Cacciari, a leader of the No Space for Bezos campaign that is fronting the anti-wedding campaign.
The group has announced more protests on Venice’s canals, bridges and narrow streets for Saturday (local time). It has pledged to make the event a “nightmare” for Bezos and his guests.
Greenpeace joined the opposition this week. Its activists unfurled a giant banner in St Mark’s Square featuring a photo of Bezos and the message: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.”
But Luca Zaia, president of the local Veneto region, has criticised the protests. He said the 90 private jets carrying guests to nearby airports would bring revenue of up to €48 million ($85.46 million) to local businesses.
-with AAP
