Met Gala 2026: Overview
The dresses have been sewn, the jewellery polished, and New York's hairdressers and make-up artists fully booked in anticipation of the Met Gala 2026. Approximately 450 A-list guests will begin arriving later for fashion's most prominent annual event, which raises funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams serve as co-chairs for this year's gala, which carries the dress code: "Fashion is art." Below is a comprehensive guide to this year's major fashion event.
What is the Met Gala 2026 theme?
This year's theme is Costume Art, named after the museum's new exhibition featuring 400 outfits and objects spanning 5,000 years of history. The gala's dress code, Fashion Is Art, invites guests to explore their relationship with fashion as an embodied art form and to celebrate depictions of the dressed body throughout art history.
Some attendees may draw inspiration from notable artistic movements and styles across centuries. Vogue has highlighted potential runway looks that could appear during the event, including references to Baroque, Impressionist, or Renaissance movements. There may even be direct nods to specific individual paintings.
As is typical with the Met Gala, the theme is broad and open to interpretation, so a diverse array of looks can be expected on the red carpet.
Who is hosting?
Met Gala chair Anna Wintour has appointed Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams as co-chairs for the evening. This will be Beyoncé's first Met Gala appearance since 2016, when she wore a futuristic outfit for the event's technology-themed year.
Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, Lisa from Blackpink, Elizabeth Debicki, and Lena Dunham are among the members of this year's host committee, which is led by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz.
The gala formally opens the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, which is the department's primary funding source and will run until January 2027.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos are co-chairs and sponsors of this year's event. Their involvement has prompted calls for a boycott in some circles, with posters appearing near the New York museum referencing issues such as workers' rights. Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon's chief executive four years ago.
When is the Met Gala?
Following tradition, the Met Gala takes place on the first Monday in May, with guests arriving from approximately 18:00 EST (23:00 BST). The guest list is not made public in advance, but a large number of A-list celebrities are expected.
The public does not have access to the event itself, where guests enjoy dinner, cocktails, live music, and a tour of the museum's new exhibition. Despite the event's exclusivity and strict no-selfie policy inside, the extensive red carpet event beforehand generates significant media coverage.
Publicity for other events is often coordinated around the Met Gala. For example, the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 was timed to coincide with this year's gala. The original film, which affectionately parodied the fashion industry two decades ago, was loosely based on Anna Wintour's tenure as editor of Vogue.
Note: There was no Met Gala in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
How to watch the Met Gala
Vogue will once again host a livestream of the red carpet. This year's coverage will be hosted by Ashley Graham, Cara Delevigne, and La La Anthony, with Emma Chamberlain returning as Vogue's red carpet correspondent.
The livestream will be available across Vogue's digital platforms, as well as on YouTube and TikTok. Numerous news outlets will also stream their own coverage on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
The website will provide live coverage with a dedicated page running while celebrities arrive on the red carpet.
How much do Met Gala tickets cost?
The Met Gala is a relatively small event, limited to around 450 invited guests. Tables are priced upwards of approximately $350,000 (£258,000), while individual tickets reportedly cost about $75,000 (£56,000).
Very few celebrities pay for their own tickets. Instead, they typically receive invitations from fashion brands, many of which host celebrities as their guests. When an A-list star wears a brand's clothing and sits at their table, it generates publicity that justifies the table's cost.
Despite covering the expenses, fashion houses must submit every proposed guest for approval by Anna Wintour herself. Wintour, who has chaired the Met Gala since 1995 and serves as head of content at Vogue publisher Condé Nast, personally signs off on every invitation.
