Key Takeaways
- The 2026 Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night and a fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, hits the museum steps in New York City on Monday, May 4, tied to the new spring exhibition Costume Art, which explores the dressed body alongside paintings and sculpture.
- This year’s dress code, “Fashion Is Art”, pushes guests toward painterly gowns, sculptural couture, and looks that blur the line between clothing and artwork. While the guest list is not revealed in advance, expect to see co-chairs like Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.
- You cannot attend the Met Gala without an invite, but Complex provides real-time red carpet coverage on social media. You can also watch the live coverage on networks like E! News and Vogue livestream that kicks off at 6 p.m. EST on Monday, May 4. The Costume Art exhibition opens to the public from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027.
Fashion’s biggest night, the Met Gala, is almost here. On May 4, the annual extravaganza will take over the Met steps—and social media. As we know, the event is a charity fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, timed to mark the opening of its spring fashion exhibition. It’s a night defined by world famous co-chairs, iconic celebrity fashion, viral soundbites, and unforgettable pop culture moments.
As we gear up for the first Monday in May and all the fashion that comes with it, you might still be asking what the Met Gala is really all about. Ahead of the 2026 Met Gala event, we broke down the biggest questions—and the answers you need.
When Is the 2026 Met Gala?
The Met Gala is famously held annually on the first Monday in May. This year’s event will take place on Monday, May 4, 2026.
Where Is the 2026 Met Gala?
The Met Gala takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Guests arrive by scaling up the museum’s iconic steps, which have been transformed with the red carpet treatment. Many depart from nearby hotels, like The Mark and The Carlyle, which have become must-see in their own right. Fans often line the streets behind barricades, hoping to catch a glimpse of arriving celebrities before they make it to the main event of the evening.
What Is the Theme of the 2026 Met Gala?
This year’s exhibition theme is Costume Art. It focuses on the dressed body, placing garments alongside paintings, sculptures, and other works from across the museum’s collection. While the exhibition sets the tone for the night, it’s not the same as the red carpet dress code. The two usually connect, but they serve different purposes.
What Is the 2026 Met Gala Dress Code?
This dress code for this year’s Met Gala is “Fashion Is Art.” It’s an open-ended brief that encourages guests to get creative and interpret it however they want. That could mean wearing pieces inspired by famous artworks, turning garments into literal canvases, or leaning into sculptural, avant-garde couture. Think painted gowns, recreated masterpieces, or high-concept looks that blur the line between clothing and artwork. Great examples of this are Wales Bonner’s collaboration with the artist Kerry James Marshall or the surreal, sculptural edge of Schiaparelli haute couture.
Who Is Attending the 2026 Met Gala?
While we can confirm at least two people who will not be attending this year’s event, the guest list is still under wraps. Expect some of the usual suspects include superstars like Rihanna, Zendaya, and Colman Domingo.
However, the co-chairs are confirmed. Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour will serve as the co-chairs of the 2026 Met Gala. This year marks Beyoncé’s first Met Gala appearance in a decade. Her last was that latex Givenchy moment in 2016.
In addition to the confirmed co-chairs, there will be a host committee: The 2026 members are Saint Laurent’s Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello, Zoë Kravitz, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Paloma Elsesser, Teyana Taylor, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Carpenter, Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, LISA, artists Tschabalala Self, Anna Weyant, and Amy Sherald, Alex Consani, Gwendoline Christie, Chase Sui Wonders, Yseult, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, Sinéad Burke, Lauren Wasser, and Vogue’s own Head of Editorial Content Chloe Malle.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are serving as honorary co-chairs. They are also the lead sponsors of the 2026 gala and exhibition.
How Much Does it Cost to Go to the Met Gala?
Last year, Complex Editor-in-Chief Aria Hughes broke down the hefty $75,000 price tag in great detail, so we’ll let her take it from here again:
Do All the Guests Pay?
While some guests pay to attend, many celebrities, artists, and cultural figures are hosted by brands that purchase tables and curate their guest lists. In exchange, those guests are typically dressed by the hosting house. For last year’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style Met Gala, Fear of God and founder Jerry Lorenzo hosted and dressed a table that included Yara Shahidi, Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Amy Sherald, Arthur Jafa, DeAndre Hopkins, Lauren Halsey, Andre Walker, Adrien Brody, and Spike Lee.
Can I Go to the Met Gala?
We hate to break it to you, but unless you’re personally invited by Anna Wintour or Chloe Malle or connected to a brand with a table, you’re not getting in. But the real focus of the night—the exhibition Costume Art—will be open to the public at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027, for everyone to see and enjoy.
For real-time Met Gala red carpet coverage, stay locked in to Complex Style on X and Instagram on May 4.
