The Met Gala is the fundraising benefit for the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, held on the first Monday of May — and, somewhere along the way, it became the single biggest night in fashion. If you have ever watched the red carpet coverage and wondered what exactly everyone is dressed up for, who decides the theme, and why a ticket reportedly costs as much as a car, here is everything you need to know.
What Is the Met Gala, Actually?
Officially the Costume Institute Benefit, the gala exists for one practical reason: money. The Costume Institute is the only curatorial department at the Met that funds itself, and this one dinner raises the budget for its exhibitions, acquisitions and conservation work — routinely tens of millions of dollars in a single night. The party doubles as the opening celebration for the Costume Institute’s big spring exhibition, which is where the famous “theme” comes from: guests are asked to dress in conversation with the show.
A Quick History
- 1948: Publicist Eleanor Lambert launches the first benefit — a midnight supper where tickets cost fifty dollars.
- 1970s: Former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, as consultant to the Costume Institute, transforms the event into a themed, celebrity-studded spectacle.
- 1995 onward: Anna Wintour becomes chair and turns the gala into fashion’s most exclusive — and most photographed — evening, personally overseeing the guest list.
- Today: roughly 400 guests, a global livestream audience of millions, and enough content to power the internet for a week.
How the Theme Works
Each year the Costume Institute announces its spring exhibition, and the gala takes its dress code from it. The distinction matters: the theme is the exhibition’s subject, while the dress code is the instruction on the invitation — and interpreting the gap between the two is where the great (and disastrous) Met Gala looks are born. Recent exhibitions have ranged from “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” in 2024 to 2025’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the first show in over twenty years centered on menswear, honoring Black dandyism and tailoring. The 2026 exhibition, “Costume Art,” pairs the Costume Institute’s holdings with works from across the Met’s collection — putting fashion in direct dialogue with fine art.
Who Gets Invited (and What It Costs)
There is no application. Invitations are controlled by Anna Wintour’s office, and most stars attend as guests of fashion houses and corporate sponsors that buy tables. Individual tickets have been reported around $75,000 in recent years, with tables running from roughly $350,000. Money alone does not get you in — the guest list balances film, music, sport, fashion and whoever defines the culture that year. Famously, the dinner itself is phone-free: the no-selfie rule inside is one of the event’s oldest open secrets, which is why the sneaky bathroom selfie became its own genre.
What Actually Happens Inside
The red carpet — technically the museum’s Fifth Avenue steps — is the public part. Inside, guests preview the exhibition, sit for a themed dinner, and watch a surprise musical performance that is never announced in advance. The whole evening runs on choreography: arrival times are scheduled to the minute, and the biggest names land last. After-parties across Manhattan, which are far less regulated and arguably more fun, run into the early morning.
How to Watch
The event itself is closed to the public, but the carpet is streamed live — Vogue’s official livestream and social channels carry every arrival, typically starting around 6pm ET on the first Monday of May. The exhibition the gala celebrates then opens to the public at the Met a few days later and runs for months, which is the part anyone can actually attend.
People Also Ask
What is the purpose of the Met Gala?
It is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the museum’s self-funding fashion department. The gala also marks the opening of the Institute’s annual spring exhibition, which sets the evening’s theme and dress code.
When is the Met Gala held?
The first Monday of May, almost every year, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The 2026 gala falls on May 4, celebrating the “Costume Art” exhibition.
How much does a Met Gala ticket cost?
Individual tickets have been reported at around $75,000, with tables starting near $350,000 — but the event is invitation-only, so a ticket cannot simply be bought without approval of the guest list.
Can the public attend the Met Gala?
No — but anyone can watch the livestreamed red carpet, and the Costume Institute exhibition the gala celebrates opens to all museum visitors shortly afterward and runs for months.