Met Gala 2026: Theme, Ticket Prices, Co-Chairs, and How to Watch the Big Night
Beyoncé returns to the Met Gala as co-chair after a decade away. Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 event.
Met Gala 2026: Everything You Need to Know
Fashion's most anticipated evening of the year is finally here. The Met Gala 2026 is set to welcome approximately 450 of the world's biggest celebrities to the steps of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where glamour, artistry, and haute couture collide for one unforgettable night.
This Year's Theme and Dress Code
The 2026 Met Gala centers on the theme Costume Art, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's landmark new exhibition. The show brings together an extraordinary collection of 400 garments and objects representing 5,000 years of fashion history.
Guests have been given the dress code "Fashion Is Art", encouraging them to explore the deep relationship between clothing and artistic expression. The theme invites attendees to celebrate how the dressed human body has been depicted and interpreted across art history.
Expect a stunning variety of interpretations on the red carpet. Outfits drawing inspiration from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Impressionist movements are all on the table, and some celebrities may even pay direct homage to iconic individual paintings. As is typical with the Met Gala, the theme is broad enough to inspire virtually endless creative possibilities.
Who Are the 2026 Co-Chairs?
Longtime Met Gala chair Anna Wintour has assembled an impressive trio of co-chairs for this year's event:
- Beyoncé – Making her long-awaited return to the gala for the first time since 2016, when she dazzled in a futuristic ensemble during that year's technology-themed event.
- Nicole Kidman – The Oscar-winning actress and longtime fashion icon joins as a co-chair.
- Venus Williams – The tennis legend brings star power from the world of sport to fashion's biggest stage.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos are also serving as co-chairs and primary sponsors of the event. Their involvement has sparked some controversy, with protest posters appearing near the museum referencing concerns over workers' rights. Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO four years ago.
Host Committee Highlights
This year's host committee is headed by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, with a star-studded lineup that includes Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, Lisa from BLACKPINK, Elizabeth Debicki, and Lena Dunham.
What Happens at the Met Gala?
The Met Gala officially opens the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, which runs through January 2027 and serves as the department's primary source of funding. While the red carpet is a public spectacle watched by millions around the world, the event itself remains strictly private.
Inside, invited guests enjoy an exclusive evening of dinner, cocktails, live music, and a private viewing of the new exhibition. A firm no-selfie rule is enforced within the venue, preserving the event's sense of mystery and exclusivity.
As has become tradition, the gala falls on the first Monday in May, with guests beginning to arrive at approximately 6:00 PM EST (11:00 PM BST).
How Much Do Met Gala Tickets Cost?
The Met Gala is one of the most exclusive events on the planet. Individual tickets are reported to cost around $75,000 (approximately £56,000), while full table bookings start at upwards of $350,000 (approximately £258,000).
How to Watch the Met Gala 2026
Although the public cannot attend the event itself, the red carpet coverage is widely accessible. Vogue will host its official livestream across its digital platforms, YouTube, and TikTok.
Hosting this year's Vogue coverage are Ashley Graham, Cara Delevingne, and La La Anthony, with fan-favorite Emma Chamberlain returning as red carpet correspondent.
Beyond Vogue, numerous media outlets will run their own live coverage across Instagram, TikTok, and other social platforms. The BBC News website will also feature a dedicated live page tracking celebrity arrivals throughout the evening.
A Note on the Cultural Moment
The Met Gala never exists in isolation. This year, the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 was strategically timed to coincide with the event's weekend — a nod to the original film, which famously offered a satirical look at the fashion world and was loosely inspired by Anna Wintour's tenure at Vogue.
It's worth noting that the Met Gala was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the only year in recent memory the event did not take place.
