The first Monday in May means one thing: the Met Gala, fashion's biggest night.
The annual fundraiser supports New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. But it's also an opulent, invite-only, celebrity-filled pop culture spectacle that raised a record $31 million last year — before the exhibit even opened.
Here's what to expect as camera batteries charge and carpets are swept in preparation for the glitzy evening.
What's the theme and dress code?
The Met's spring 2026 exhibition is titled "Costume Art." It will open to gala attendees on Monday night and to the general public on May 10. The corresponding dress code for the gala is "Fashion is Art," which references the exhibition's pairing of garments with art objects.
According to The Met, the dress code "Fashion is Art" invites guests to "express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history."
"Costume Art" will be the first exhibition to call The Met's new gallery spaces home.
The new Condé M. Nast Galleries, named after the late magazine publisher, will house the annual spring Costume Institute shows, as well as exhibitions from other departments at the Met.
The spring costume exhibition, which includes about 400 garments, accessories and artworks, is organized by categories of body type, like "the pregnant body," the Met says.
As always, it's up to guests to interpret the dress code at the gala. Zendaya turned heads in two outfits in 2024 with the "Garden of Time" dress code, including her Maison Margiela look. With no obvious adherence to a time period or specific aesthetic, "Fashion is Art" appears particularly open to a wide range of takes.
How can I watch?
Vogue will host the official 2026 Met Gala livestream. It will be available to watch starting at 6 p.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. Pacific on vogue.com and on its digital platforms, including YouTube and TikTok.
Model Ashley Graham, producer La La Anthony and actress-model Cara Delevingne will host Vogue's livestream from the red carpet. Influencer Emma Chamberlain will return for her sixth year as the special red carpet correspondent.
Who will be there?
Simply put, the rich and the famous.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour will co-chair the gala.
Zoë Kravitz and Anthony Vaccarello will co-chair the gala host committee, which includes big names such as Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Teyana Taylor, Gwendoline Christie, Sam Smith, and Angela Bassett.
Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchéz, are honorary chairs and lead sponsors of the gala — which has provoked an activist group to call for a boycott of the event.
Copyright 2026 NPR
