What is the Met Gala? How it works, who gets in and where the money goes
The Met Gala is fashion’s most photographed night, but it is also a fundraiser with strict rules, a six-figure ticket price and one gatekeeper. Every May, celebrities climb the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in outfits built around a theme, while the money raised keeps a museum department running. This guide explains what the Met Gala is, how the theme and guest list are decided, what tickets cost and where the money goes. Current as of October 2026.
By Editorial Team
The short answer
- What it is: the Costume Institute Benefit, an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fashion department, the Costume Institute.
- When: usually the first Monday in May, the night the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition opens.
- Who decides who goes: Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who has chaired the gala since 1995 and approves every guest.
- Tickets: $100,000 each in 2026, up from $75,000 in 2025, with tables from $350,000, CBS News reported. You cannot buy one without an invitation.
- The money: the 2026 gala raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute.
Why the Met Gala exists
According to Britannica, the Costume Institute is the only curatorial department at the Met that must raise its own operating funds. The gala was set up to pay for its work, and it remains the department’s main source of funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and other needs.
The first event, in 1948, was a midnight supper organised by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, billed as “the Party of the Year”, with tickets at $50. For years it moved between New York venues, and guests were mostly fashion insiders and high society.
That changed in the 1970s under Diana Vreeland, the former Vogue editor who became a consultant to the Costume Institute. From 1972 the party was held at the Met itself, its theme was matched to the exhibition, and the guest list became more celebrity-driven, with stars such as Andy Warhol, Diana Ross and Cher.
How the Met Gala works today
The theme and dress code
Each year’s theme comes from the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, chosen by its curator, currently Andrew Bolton. The gala then sets a dress code for guests. In 2026 the exhibition was “Costume Art”, exploring the relationship between clothing and the body, and the dress code was “Fashion Is Art”. In 2025 the exhibition was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, with the dress code “Tailored for You”.
The hosts
Wintour oversees and signs off on every detail, Britannica says. Each year a group of celebrity co-chairs hosts alongside her. In 2026 they were Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams, with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as honorary chairs and sponsors, CBS News reported.
The guest list
Paying is not enough: every guest needs Wintour’s approval. CBS expected around 400 guests in 2026. Many celebrities do not pay themselves. Fashion houses sometimes buy tables and invite stars, who are then expected to wear that designer’s theme-inspired outfit. That is why the red carpet doubles as a showcase for brands.
The rules
Under Wintour, guests must be 18 or over, and selfies and social media posting are banned inside, except on the red carpet, according to Britannica. The dinner, performances and gallery visits happen inside, largely away from cameras, which is why most of what the public sees is the arrival on the steps.
How much the Met Gala raises
| Year | Theme (exhibition) | Reported total raised |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion | nearly $26 million |
| 2025 | Superfine: Tailoring Black Style | about $31 million (then a record) |
| 2026 | Costume Art | $42 million (record) |
Sources: Britannica (2024, 2025); WWD and Fortune (2026).
The exhibitions themselves can be blockbusters. “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in 2018 drew 1.65 million visitors, the most of any gala-linked show, according to Britannica.
Why the Met Gala gets so much attention
Britannica notes that the gala has been called “the Oscars of the East Coast”, though unlike the Oscars there are no prizes (see how Oscar voting works). Its fame rests on the red carpet. Women’s Wear Daily traces the era of extravagant outfits to 2004, and memorable moments since include Rihanna’s 16-foot embroidered cape by Guo Pei in 2015 and Billy Porter being carried in on a litter in 2019.
Themes can also stir controversy. Critics said some 2015 outfits drew on stereotypes, and Catholic groups criticised the 2018 theme, Britannica records. Protests around the 2026 gala targeted the Bezos sponsorship, CBS News and Fortune reported.
The 2027 theme was cancelled
The Met had announced its 2027 spring exhibition as “John Galliano: Horizons”, devoted to the British designer. It drew a backlash over antisemitic and racist remarks Galliano made in 2010 and 2011, for which he was convicted in France. On 31 August 2026, the Met and Galliano said the exhibition would not go ahead. “I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano said, TODAY reported. The Met said a new spring exhibition, and so a new gala theme, would be announced later.
How to follow the Met Gala
The event is private, but the red carpet arrivals are photographed and covered live by fashion media. Because the arrivals take place on a New York evening, they fall late at night in the UK and Europe. For another huge annual pop culture moment, see how the Super Bowl halftime show performer is chosen, and for a contest where viewers do get a vote, read how Eurovision voting works.
What to watch
Watch for the Met’s announcement of the replacement 2027 exhibition, theme and co-chairs. If tradition holds, the 2027 gala would fall on the first Monday in May, which is 3 May 2027. More in Celebrity News and International Entertainment.
Photo credits: featured image, the red carpet at the 2015 Costume Institute Gala, by NoondayNews / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; in-article image by SWinxy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Sources
- Britannica: Met Gala (updated 31 August 2026)
- CBS News: How much does a Met Gala ticket cost in 2026? (4 May 2026)
- WWD: Met Gala 2026 raises record-breaking $42 million
- Fortune: The Met Gala raised a record $42 million (5 May 2026)
- TODAY: Met Gala scraps 2027 John Galliano theme (31 August 2026)
- The Met: Announcement on the Spring 2027 Costume Institute exhibition
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