Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has changed the venue of the party celebrating his wedding with former TV presenter Lauren Sanchez, following protests against the event scheduled for the weekend in the Italian city of Venice.
The wedding party, which was rumored to be held this Saturday in a popular and central nightlife area, in Cannaregio’s Scuola Grande di Santa Maria della Misericordia, was moved to an isolated, less accessible part of the lagoon city for security reasons.
The highly anticipated event, dubbed “the wedding of the century,” is set to draw a bevy of celebrities, including US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both of whom have already arrived in Venice.
Reception venue moved to an isolated part of city
The wedding party, which will include some 250 guests, will now be held in the Arsenale, an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair. The venue, which lies further from the center, was originally a shipyard serving the Venetian Republic’s maritime empire during its heyday in the 15th century.
The venue is considered safer than the medieval former religious school where the party was initially scheduled to be held. It is surrounded by water, making it impossible to reach by land when bridges are raised.
Protesters argue against turning fragile city into a private park for the rich
Protesters including residents and pressure groups have rallied against the wedding ceremony for weeks, arguing that the event will transform the city into a private amusement park for the rich.
Protesters ask city authorities to prioritize local needs over those of tourists, with more protests scheduled on Saturday on Venice’s canals, bridges and narrow streets in an effort to turn the event into a “nightmare” for the Amazon founder and his guests.
“The news that Bezos has run away from the Misericordia is a great victory for us,” Reuters quoted Tommaso Cacciari, a leader of the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, as saying.
Bezos-Sanchez wedding location kept under wraps
The exact date and location of the wedding have so far been kept a secret for security reasons.
The wedding and the parties held on its sidelines are expected to cost €40 to €48 million ($46 to $55 million), according to Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region that comprises the city.
Bezos, in parallel, will make sizable charity donations, including €1 million for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice’s lagoon ecosystem, according to Italian media reports.
Zaia defended the wedding and criticized protesters, saying that the celebrations would bring revenue of up to €48 million to local businesses, via the 90 private jets set to carry guests to nearby airports.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
