What Happens Inside the Invite-only MET Gala, Held Annually on the First Monday of May?

The first Monday of May beckons the biggest night in fashion. The MET Gala is an annual event that will be held on May 4, 2026 this year. The fundraiser is an invite-only event and is considered one of the most coveted evenings in Hollywood. Guests from across the globe, including bigwigs from Hollywood, sports, business and politics, walk the red carpet at the MET Gala.

What is the MET Gala?

It’s a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met, and it’s a huge one. Last year, the evening brought in a record sum of more than $31 million. The Met Gala started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper, held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.

A person has to be rich, famous or powerful enough to be invited to the gala. Individual tickets are $100,000, and a table of 10 starts at $350,000. Even after buying a table, attendance at the gala is not guaranteed. There will be approximately 400 guests in all.

What happens at the MET Gala?

The highlight of the event is the red carpet event. Celebrities walk the coveted MET steps, flaunting their interpretation of the dress code of the year. For just a few minutes on the red carpet, celebrities spend months (and big bucks) to prepare the perfect outfit, which sends a message and sets them apart.

After the carpet, guests enter the museum, check in (and get stickers placed over their phone cameras!) and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s lobby. Often, there is an orchestra playing. After hitting the receiving line, everyone heads either to cocktails or to the exhibit. Then to dinner. By the main course, most tardy guests have managed to arrive, but not all. Some even wait until dessert. Typically, the whole event precedes an after-party.

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What is the theme of the MET Gala 2026, and who is hosting?

The dress code of the MET Gala 2026 is ‘Fashion is Art’. As always, the dress code is inspired by the spring exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It remains to be seen how the celebrities interpret the dress code of the year.

None other than Beyoncé, a familiar gala guest, is a co-chair this year, joined by Nicole Kidman, tennis champ Venus Williams and the one who runs it all, Vogue’s Anna Wintour. There’s also a “host committee” chaired by designer Anthony Vaccarello and filmmaker Zoë Kravitz, and featuring names from Sabrina Carpenter and Teyana Taylor to Lena Dunham and Misty Copeland. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have to said to made generous contribution towards the exhibition this year and are expected to be in attendance at the gala.

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