Beyoncé's back and 'Fashion Is Art': What to know about the 2026 Met Gala

Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times on Apr 29, 2026

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The Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night, is around the corner.

The annual event, which takes place on the first Monday of May, draws A-listers across entertainment, fashion, sports, tech and business and raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. Last year’s gala collected a record $31 million for the fashion department’s operations, exhibitions, publications and acquisitions.

The 2026 gala will be the first to take place at the museum’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries, a nearly 12,000-square-foot space housed in what used to be the museum gift shop.

Here’s everything else you need to know about the “Super Bowl of fashion.”

When is the Met Gala?

The 2026 Met Gala is May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The red carpet livestream starts at 6 p.m. Eastern, but some guests arrive up to an hour early.

What is the theme?

The theme, which is linked to the fashion department’s spring exhibition, is “Costume Art.”

The show, on view May 10 to Jan. 10, 2027, features nearly 400 items spanning 5,000 years. It will pair garments with artwork culled from the museum’s collections. Items will be categorized based on thematic body types that often show up in works across the museum, including the “Naked Body,” “Classical Body,” “Pregnant Body” and “Aging Body.”

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

Who are the chairs?

Beyoncé — returning after a 10-year hiatus — Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour will co-chair this year’s gala.

The host committee, co-chaired by Yves Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, includes Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, Lisa, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson, Yseult, Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Sinéad Burke, Rebecca Hall, Aimee Mullins, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald and Chase Sui Wonders.

Who else is on the guest list?

The guest list is always a tightly guarded secret, but frequent guests include Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Blake Lively, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gigi and Bella Hadid, members of the Kardashian-Jenner family and Rihanna, who revealed her third pregnancy at last year’s gala.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, former journalist Lauren Sánchez Bezos, are expected to attend, as lead sponsors of the exhibition and event. Saint Laurent and Condé Nast are also sponsors.

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt, stars of the fashion extravaganza “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” may also attend the gala. The sequel hits theaters a few days before the gala.

There are typically 400 to 600 attendees. Last year, individual tickets cost $75,000, according to CBS.

In a break from tradition, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and wife Rama Duwaji will not be attending.

How can I watch the livestream?

Vogue will livestream the Met Gala starting at 6 p.m. Eastern across its digital platforms, including YouTube and TikTok. The livestream will be hosted by Ashley Graham, La La Anthony and Cara Delevingne, and influencer Emma Chamberlain will return as red carpet correspondent.