All across Manhattan, stars are powdering their noses, smoothing down wrinkles on gowns and suits, and doing one final look in the mirror.
It might seem like a lot of fuss for a Monday, but it’s not just any Monday. It’s the first Monday in May, which means one thing in New York City: Met Gala day.
Tonight, celebrities will gather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2026 Met Gala.
Business Insider will be sharing live updates throughout the event, from A-list arrivals to the best and worst Met Gala outfits. Read on to be part of fashion’s biggest night.
The theme of the 2026 Met Gala is “Costume Art.”
Unlike some A-list events, the Met Gala always has a theme. It coordinates with the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit, which attendees can explore once they enter the gala.
For 2026, museum curator Andrew Bolton created a “Costume Art” exhibit, saying he “wanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the museum.”
The Met Gala’s red carpet also has a dress code that dictates the eye-catching looks celebrities wear. This year, stars will dress to the “Fashion is Art” dress code, as Vogue announced in February, advising guests to “consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas.”
That description leaves plenty of room for guests to interpret the theme as they see fit, particularly compared to stricter Met Gala dress codes of years past, so we’ll likely see a variety of different takes on “Fashion is Art” attire.
The 2026 Met Gala has arrived at last.
It’s time to roll out the fancy carpet because fashion’s biggest night is just hours away.
Held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met Gala raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute and is the place to be for celebrities on the first Monday in May.
A night of glamour doesn’t come cheap, though.
This year, individual tickets cost $100,000. More often than not, fashion houses and other corporate sponsors buy tables and bring guests to fill them (though Anna Wintour is said to have final say on who gets in). Tables cost $350,000 for 2026.
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