Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
June 20 , 2025
Venice, Italy – In a move that has left locals bewildered and tourists stranded, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly purchased every boat in Venice ahead of his highly anticipated wedding to Lauren Sánchez, effectively turning the city’s iconic canals into private thoroughfares for his star-studded nuptials.
While Bezos’s wedding was already the talk of the town, with rumors of a $10 million budget, megayachts, and a guest list featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, the Kardashians, and Lady Gaga, the latest development has escalated tensions in the historic city. According to sources close to the event, the unprecedented boat buyout is intended to prevent “interlopers” from disrupting the celebrations and to guarantee maximum privacy for the couple and their 250 distinguished guests.
The wedding, scheduled between June 24 and June 28, has already drawn criticism from local activists and residents. Many accuse Bezos of turning Venice into a “showcase for the ultra-rich,” with activists planning to block canals and protest what they see as the commodification of their city. Now, with the city’s famed gondolas, water taxis, and even private boats reportedly off-limits to the public, frustrations have reached a boiling point.
“We will obstruct the canals, fill the streets with our bodies, and block the waterways with anything that floats,” vowed protest organizer Federica Toninelli earlier this week, before news of the boat buyout broke. The move has only galvanized protesters, who say the city’s priorities are skewed toward wealthy outsiders at the expense of its residents.
Venice’s mayor’s office has attempted to quell rumors and reassure the public, stating, “The numerous rumors and misinformation regarding Jeff Bezos’ wedding are entirely baseless. Only 200 guests have been invited, so accommodating this event will not disrupt the city or its inhabitants." However, with entire fleets of water taxis and luxury hotels reserved for the wedding, and now the city’s boats reportedly under Bezos’s control, many Venetians remain unconvinced.
Bezos, whose $500 million superyacht “Koru” is expected to anchor nearby for the festivities, is no stranger to extravagant displays of wealth. Yet, the alleged boat buyout has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over tourism, gentrification, and the future of Venice—a city already struggling with rising tides, depopulation, and the pressures of mass tourism.
“This wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders,” said Toninelli. “Venice is now just an asset."
As the world’s third-richest man prepares to say “I do” in one of the planet’s most picturesque—and contested—cities, all eyes are on Venice to see how far the city, and its canals, can be privatized for a billionaire’s dream wedding.
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