A viral TikTok video has sparked outrage after it showed what appeared to be a flotilla of billionaire-owned superyachts taking over the open waters of St. Barts on New Year's Eve.
In the video posted by brittany (@btswithbritt), a multitude of yachts — and some choppers, jet skis, and chase boats — could be seen on St. Barts, a popular destination for billionaires and celebrities, for New Year's.
"NYE in St. Barts aka The Billionaire's Playground," she wrote in the video caption.
@btswithbritt new year's resolution: get on one of these yachts #stbarths #nye #sxm ♬ WHOLE LOTTA MONEY - BIA
According to Business Insider, billionaires who flocked to this Caribbean island in their yachts included Jeff Bezos, Dmitry Bukhman, Miriam Adelson, and David Geffen. There were a record 226 superyachts (over 78 feet) in St. Barts, making 2025's gathering the largest in history, per YachtBuyer.
On Instagram, a user posted a photo that showed every billionaire superyacht, represented by purple arrow icons, that was in St. Barts to celebrate the New Year.
"[I]n the caribbean. each marker represents a large yacht broadcasting its position via [AIS] tracking, revealing just how many high value vessels are gathered in one place at the same time," they wrote in the caption for the post, which has over 21,000 likes as of writing.
While the display may look glamorous on social media, critics argue the environmental toll is anything but. Superyachts have drawn public scrutiny because of how excessive they are and because of the environmental damage they cause.
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Anthropologists Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros shared that billionaires' carbon impacts can be thousands of times higher than those of average Americans, primarily because of their yachts, private planes, and mansions, per the Conversation.
What's more, making these superyachts rely heavily on non-renewable resources, as well as materials like steel and aluminum whose production requires high energy consumption and produces hazardous pollution, the Water Revolution Foundation reported.
While the moniker "Billionaire's Playground" seems to add a whimsical touch to the whole affair, it comes across as misleading and echoes greenwashing tactics by masking practices that harm the planet.
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Definitely 👍 "The damage these yachts do is beyond words, btw. So terrible for our planet," a user commented on the TikTok video.
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Others echoed the same sentiment, with one candidly sharing their New Year's resolution. "New Year's resolution: stop glamorizing this type of wealth," one TikTok user shared.
"Don't forget: we all work really hard everyday so these people can have all that stuff," another wrote.
As the video continues circulating, it's fueling a broader conversation about who gets to use the planet's resources — and who pays the price when luxury crosses into excess.
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