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Dua paid around £5,000 to residents whose apartment views were affected, while businesses impacted by closures were also offered compensation
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner got married in a civil ceremony on May 31 before hosting lavish wedding festivities in Italy
Dua Lipa and Callum Turner jetted off to Italy for a lavish three-day wedding celebration following their private and intimate civil ceremony in London on May 31. They once again said “I do” in front of their close family and friends at their Italian wedding over the weekend. But their lavish festivities sparked protests and anger among locals in Sicily.
The newlywed couple reportedly hosted around 300 guests at the event, estimated to have cost £1.5 million ($2 million, or around Rs 19 crore).
Their wedding festivities were held across some of Sicily’s most historic venues, including Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi in Palermo and Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, with a star-studded guest list that included Elton John, Charli XCX, Mark Ronson, Troye Sivan and Donatella Versace.
However, Dua and Callum’s high-profile wedding has drawn backlash from residents after major public spaces were closed off to accommodate the event. Two public squares in Palermo were shut to the public, roads were blocked, and drones were banned as security measures were put in place ahead of the celebrations.
In response, locals and activists launched a protest campaign, which they view as the privatisation of public places for wealthy people. “Palermo is not for rent,” “Our square is not your living room”, and “Public spaces belong to everyone.
We reclaim the right to live them, free from private profit,” posters were plastered around the city by social justice group Apro Palermo. When wedding organisers reportedly removed the posters, protestors responded by spray-painting the same messages onto walls across the city.
Some reports suggest that Dua paid around £5,000 to residents whose apartment views were affected by temporary parking arrangements, while businesses impacted by closures were also offered compensation. The couple also paid local authorities thousands of pounds to rent event spaces and arrange additional private security.
Internet Calls Out “Peak Elite Hypocrisy”
Even people on the internet have reacted to the protests, with one saying, “I like Dua, but the protests are justified. Her wedding shouldn’t inconvenience the public.”
“What happened to renting out farmhouses or lakehouses? What’s the logic and psychology behind renting/buying whole cities?” asked another person.
“That’s actually really controversial. You can understand the frustration if public spaces were fully closed off for days like that, locals would definitely feel pushed out of their own city,” commented one individual.
One person quipped, “Peak elite hypocrisy. Dua Lipa and her rich friends shut down public streets in Palermo for their lavish wedding, locals rightfully lose their shit, and she throws them €5,000 like it’s a generous tip. Public spaces aren’t your private party venue.
Dua Lipa reportedly pays €5,000 to Palermo residents after locals protested road closures and restricted access during her lavish wedding celebrations pic.twitter.com/vmT3zDOtcD— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) June 6, 2026
This is exactly why normal people are getting fed up with the out-of-touch celebrity class treating everywhere like their personal playground. Pay your staff properly and stay out of the way next time.”
Meanwhile, someone said, “Palermo locals crying over a few closed squares for a £1.5m celeb wedding are just poor and jealous. They took the cash compensation, the city got paid, businesses got exposure from A-listers and Versace-level guests, but still whine, ‘not for rent.’ Grow up, this is how rich people flex in broke tourist traps. If you can’t handle it, don’t sell your public spaces next time.”
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