The civil wedding in London was last week and it was as discreet as it was intimate. The real celebration is happening in Palermo this whole weekend (since last Thursday evening) and the least we can say is that it is much less sober. Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner have, in fact, chose the Sicilian capital for one grandiose three-day partybetween the Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi and the Villa Valguarnera à Bagheria. Elton John to me interpreter Your Song live for the occasion. On paper, it’s the kind of marriage we talk about for years. In the street, on the other hand, the atmosphere is much less festive.
“Palermo is not for rent”: Dua Lipa and her husband alienate an entire city
Because to welcome this with dignity 1.5 million euro event which received around two hundred gueststhe city was put under pressure in every sense of the word. There Piazza Croce dei Vespri and Piazza Sant’Anna which are two emblematic places of the historic center have literally been closed to the public. The airspace has been blocked for the arrival of private jets while the police are still deployed massively in the area. And for the neighborhood’s restaurateurs and merchants, the conclusion was brutal: curtain lowered and several days lost. Residents then took out signs with a clear message: “Palermo is not for rent“we could read on some of them.
What ignited the powder was less the marriage itself than the way in which it was organized, as if the city was a space that could be neutralized for a festive weekend. The people of Palermo are not exactly a population used to letting things happen, so the ultra-strict security system was experienced as a form of arrogance difficult to swallow. Faced with discontent, the bride and groom tried a pragmatic approach, which did not really calm things down.
5,800 euros per resident: compensation that goes badly
According to British magazines The Sun et The Daily Mailthe singer, actress and ambassador of major luxury brands as well as her husband offered compensation of approximately 5,800 euros to local residents, particularly those directly impacted by the parking spaces reserved for guests. An initiative which was intended to be calming, but which was above all perceived as an attempt to buy silence. In a city where the issue of privatization of public spaces is sensitivetaking out the check book is not always the best way to work things out…
The mayor of Palermo, Roberto Lagalla, defended the event, not without recognizing the legitimate annoyance of the locals. His main argument in favor is that international visibility and economic benefits for the region are worth it. A classic reasoning in this type of situation, which however rarely convinces those who have had to close shop or retreat to their homes for three days.
Dua Lipa et Callum Turner : des célébrités déconnectées de la réalité ?
What this Sicilian episode reveals is also the way in which big celebrities organize their private events without really measuring the impact on local populations. Dua Lipa, whose worldwide popularity is no longer in doubt, and Callum Turner, a British actor whose career is gaining momentum, probably had just imaginé Palerme comme un décor de rêve for their big party. What the couple who met in a chic London restaurant may not have anticipated is that these dream settings for the happiest day of their lives have residents who have their say.
