Met Gala 2026/ Ticket prices and this year's theme

2026-05-04 08:31:00, Lifestyle CNA

Dresses are sewn, jewelry is polished, and New York hair and makeup artists are fully booked ahead of the 2026 Met Gala.

About 450 A-list guests will begin arriving later for the biggest fashion night of the year, which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams are co-chairs of this year's gala, which has the dress code: "Fashion is art."

Here's everything you need to know about this year's fashion Super Bowl.

What is the theme of the 2026 Met Gala?

This year's theme is Costume Art, named after the museum's new exhibition, which will feature 400 costumes and objects spanning 5,000 years.

The dress code for the gala is "Fashion is Art", with guests invited to explore their relationship with fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate depictions of the dressed body throughout art history.

Some stars may reference famous artistic movements and styles from across the centuries, as Vogue highlighted with their helpful roundup of some of the runway looks that could be on display that night.

Clothing may appear that references the Baroque, Impressionist, or Renaissance movements, and there may even be direct references to specific individual paintings.

But, as is often the case with the Met Gala, the theme is so broad that it can be interpreted in countless ways, so we can expect to see a wide variety of looks on the red carpet.

Who is waiting?

Met Gala chairwoman Anna Wintour has tapped Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams to serve as co-chairs of the evening this year.

This will mark Beyoncé's first Met Gala appearance since 2016, when she attended wearing a futuristic outfit for the event's memorable year with a technology theme.

Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, Lisa from Blackpink, Elizabeth Debicki and Lena Dunham are among the members of this year's host committee, which is chaired by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz.

Met Gala 2026/ Ticket prices and this year's theme

The event officially opens the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, which serves as the department's primary source of funding and runs until January 2027.

When is the Met Gala?

As is tradition, the Met Gala will take place on the first Monday in May, with guests arriving around 6pm EST (11pm BST).

The guest list is not released in advance, but you can expect to see a large number of celebrities that night.

The public is not allowed to see inside the event itself, where guests enjoy dinner, cocktails, live music and a look around the museum's new exhibit.

But despite the exclusivity of the event and the strict rule against selfies inside, the long red carpet event ensures extensive media coverage.

Publicity for other events is often built around the Met Gala. It's no coincidence, for example, that last weekend was chosen to launch The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Met Gala 2026/ Ticket prices and this year's theme

The beloved original film, which lovingly parodied the fashion industry two decades ago, was loosely based on the time when Met Gala chairwoman Anna Wintour was editor of Vogue.

How much do tickets cost for the Met Gala?

The Met Gala is a relatively small event, open only to a small number of guests - usually around 450.

Tables cost upwards of around $350,000 (£258,000), while individual tickets are reported to cost around $75,000 (£56,000).

Met Gala 2026/ Ticket prices and this year's theme