It's arguably the most glamorous social event of the year, one which guests spend countless hours preparing for. But it seems the real fun of the Met Gala begins not when celebrities are posing up a storm on the legendary staircase but rather inside the museum where guests are able to let their hair down.
Stars Let Their Hair Down at the 2026 Met Gala
Photos taken from the 2026 soiree offer fans a fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the party and how the stars are celebrating fashion's biggest night. Rihanna, 38, for one, wasn't going to let the stuffy event stop her from cracking a joke. Pictures show Rihanna striking a very cheeky pose with Heidi Klum, 52, who came dressed as a statue, and one that reduced her partner A$AP Rocky, 37, to stitches. The songstress placed her hand by Klum's chest and puckered up her lips while A$AP buried his face in his hand, clearly amused by the interaction.
It was clearly all in good fun, with Klum unable to resist cracking up as A$AP flashed a peace sign above her head. The ordinarily cool, calm, and collected Rihanna also doubled over in laughter. The bash was truly a who's who from all industries, with stars from Hollywood, music, sports, and tech in attendance.
Celebrity Sightings and Fun Moments
Kylie Jenner was seen showcasing an appreciation for fine art as she admired the exhibits on display. Another celebrity who was having a blast was Olivia Wilde. Wilde was spotted rubbing elbows with Katy Perry, who seemingly surprised the actress with her unusual face mask outfit. Jeff Bezos was spotted smooching his glamorous wife Lauren Sanchez while Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan mingled with Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu. Actresses Ayo Edebiri and Lily-Rose Depp were among those seen chatting by the dance floor.
The ordinarily cool, calm, and collected Rihanna was unable to resist cracking up over their hijinks. Kylie Jenner expressed an appreciation for the fine arts. The reality star attended the bash alongside the likes of Hunter Schafer, Lux Pascal, Paloma Elsesser, and Alex Consani.
About the Met Gala
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, falls on the first Monday in May every year. The theme of this year's event, widely considered the Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets, is 'Costume Art', while the dress code is 'Fashion Is Art.' The dress code calls on the A-list attendees to explore how designers use the human body as a blank canvas.
Leading the charge was a powerhouse trio of co-chairs, with Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams joining forces with Vogue's global editorial director Anna Wintour to oversee fashion's biggest night. It's the first time tennis superstar Williams has co-chaired the gala. Kidman previously co-chaired the star-studded event in 2003 as well as 2005, and Beyonce was an honorary chair in 2013.
Exhibition and Sponsorship
The New York City museum pairs historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, which will be loosely divided into three categories, including the classical and the nude body, aging and pregnant bodies, and the anatomical body. The exhibit, which unveiled the Met's sprawling new Conde M. Nast Galleries, has been made possible by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, who are the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.
'The title "Costume Art" refers to the history of the costume institute,' Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute's curator, said at a press conference. Bolton, who selects the theme, said fashion has 'the status of art because of, and not in spite of, its relation to the body.' French luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent also sponsored the exhibit.
The 2026 Met Gala also had host committees that include committee co-chairs Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz, along with members Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Angela Bassett, Gwendoline Christie, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor and more. Costume Art will run from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027, following the Met Gala on May 4.
Funding and Wintour's Role
The Met Gala is a huge money-maker for the museum and provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding. The 2026 Met Gala marks a major moment because it's the first one since Wintour technically stepped back from one of her famed roles at Vogue. In June 2025, Wintour announced she was stepping down as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years. The global director for Vogue and global chief content officer at Conde Nast hired Chloe Malle as the new head of editorial content at Vogue.
Wintour has famously been incredibly hands-on with the Met Gala over the years and is credited with making it the splashy A-list affair it has become, beloved by celebrities like Rihanna, the Kardashians, Blake Lively, Zendaya and more. Last year, many stars did not attend the Met Gala, and some people thought it was to avoid making a faux pas because of the theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which was centered around the political and aesthetic constructs of Black dandyism.
