Billionaire Jeff Bezos held a foam party on board his yacht as he prepared for his lavish wedding in Venice, Italy.
The Amazon founder is due to marry Lauren Sanchez, a television journalist and author, in the world heritage city this week.
Protesters have vowed to disrupt the multimillion-dollar eventby jumping into canals and blocking the wedding party’s water taxis.
Dozens of private jets are expected to arrive at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport, bringing guests from as far afield as Los Angeles, Tanzania, London and Budapest.
But before the celebrations, which are expected to last three days, Bezos and his fiancee threw a raucous foam party on board the Koru, his US$500 million ($837m ), three-masted super yacht.
Jeff Bezos and fiance Lauren Sanchez threw a foam party on their yacht ahead of their Venice wedding. Photo / MG24, Getty Images for the Met Museum, Vogue
The yacht, which sails under a Cayman Islands flag, is anchored off an island on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. It will arrive in the Venetian lagoon this week, accompanied by a support ship, the Abeona, another mega-vessel, equipped with a helicopter pad.
Bezos, 61, was photographed wearing swimming shorts, laughing and joking with his partner Sanchez, 55, as a giant cannon blasted foam on to the deck of the Koru.
Sanchez wore a black-and-red string bikini as a group of friends were seen dancing in the foam.
Younger guests were photographed driving golf balls into the sea from the deck of the huge vessel.
Protesters are preparing a hostile reception for the couple and the 250 guests they are reported to have invited for their three-day nuptials.
Various activist groups have coalesced under the slogan “No Space for Bezos”, a play on the billionaire’s Blue Origin space exploration venture.
They say that hosting the wedding is emblematic of how Venice has sold its soul to tourism at the expense of locals, who face acute housing shortages, the closure of basic services and the replacement of local businesses by trinket shops and trattorias.
‘No Space for Bezos’
They will have to face off, however, against a rival group that is taking the opposite stance – that the wedding will bring Italy and the city millions of euros in revenue and the Amazon founder should be welcomed.
Rallying under the slogan “Yes Venice Can”, the group consists of Venetian hoteliers, restaurant owners, and business associations.
The group said in a statement: “We cannot allow a noisy minority to discredit the image of this city in the eyes of the world”.
“We will put on the very best welcome for Bezos, as we always do for those who choose Venice as a holiday destination or as a backdrop to big events. Venice is a city that welcomes people – it doesn’t turn them away.”
It added that Venice had “always been a crossroads of cultures, travellers, merchants, and famous people”.
More than 90 private jets are expected to fly into Venice this week, bringing Hollywood celebrities and tech tycoons from around the world.
The aircraft will touch down at Marco Polo Airport on the mainland, just across the lagoon from Venice.
Flight documents show there is a Gulfstream G650ER coming in from Los Angeles that belongs to Kim Kardashian, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
A flight from Tanzania will bring Paul Tudor Jones II, a billionaire hedge fund manager, while a plane from Valencia, will bring David Geffen, the film producer and record company executive.
Kylie Jenner will reportedly arrive from Budapest, while Oprah Winfrey, the actor and chat show host, will fly in from New York City.
Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, will come from Brussels, closely followed by Lachlan Murdoch, one of the sons of Rupert Murdoch, who will travel from London.
Lady Gaga and Elton John are also reported to be planning to attend.
Activists staged a fresh protest against the wedding, unfurling a giant banner in St Mark’s Square that read: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax”.
The demonstration was organised by Greenpeace and Everyone Hates Elon, a British campaign group.
Clara Thompson, a Greenpeace campaigner, said: “While Venice is sinking under the weight of the climate crisis, billionaires are partying like there is no tomorrow on their mega-yachts”.
“This isn’t just about one person – it’s about changing the rules so no billionaire can dodge responsibility, anywhere.
“The real issue is a broken system that lets billionaires skip out on taxes while everyone else is left to foot the bill. That’s why we need fair, inclusive rules – and they must be written at the UN.”
A spokesperson from Everyone Hates Elon said: “As governments talk about hard choices and struggle to fund public services, Jeff Bezos can afford to shut down half a city for days on end just to get married”.
“Just weeks ago, he spent millions on an 11-minute space trip. If there was ever a sign that billionaires like Bezos should pay wealth taxes, it’s this.”
