The 2026 Met Gala, fashion's biggest night, is set for the first Monday in May, marking the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibition. This year's theme is 'Costume Art,' exploring depictions of the dressed body across art history, with a dress code of 'Fashion is Art.'
The gala will also inaugurate the Costume Institute's new 12,000-square-foot home, the Condé Nast Galleries. Co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams, while Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, who provided majority funding, serve as honorary chairs.
Ticket prices have risen to around $100,000 each, with tables fetching upwards of $300,000. Tech companies including Meta, Snapchat, OpenAI, ShopMy and Amazon have purchased tables. Last year's event raised a record $31 million.
Activist groups have protested Bezos' involvement, with anti-Bezos posters near the museum and a planned protest outside. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will not attend, citing a focus on affordability.
