You’d have to be an actual museum relic not to know about the Met Gala. Held at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is fashion’s biggest night of the year. It’s also the hottest ticket in town. Mere mortals do not score an invite to those hallowed Met halls, and even entertainment reporters are generally relegated to the red carpet.
Formerly known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit, the annual event is held on the first Monday in May. And unlike the Oscars, it’s only gaining in zeitgeist-y popularity. After all, you likely can’t recite who won the Oscar Best Actress in 2022, but you do recall that, a few months later, Kim Kardashian slinked into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 1962 “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” gown.
But how did the Met Gala get its start, and how did it become the spectacle it is today? Hint: It goes back a lot further than you probably think, and the person you likely think is responsible for it actually isn’t! In honor of the 2026 edition on May 4, whose theme is “Costume Art,” we’ve compiled the most interesting facts, the most fabulous fashion and the biggest controversies from the Met Gala. Read on for all the details.
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1. The very first Met Gala was in 1948
Fashion’s biggest night started with a midnight dinner in December 1948 that cost $50 to attend. (For those of you trying to do the mental math, that was 78 years ago.) Eleanor Lambert, a fashion publicist who helped launch New York Fashion Week, envisioned the event as a way to fundraise for the Met’s two-year-old Costume Institute and fete the opening of its annual exhibit.
Billed as “The Party of the Year,” the exclusive event took place at the Waldorf Astoria, and guests wore formal attire. Who were those guests? New York City socialites, philanthropists and fashion-industry bigwigs. That’s right—there wasn’t a celebrity or a red carpet in sight.
After the inaugural event, the late-night suppers were also held at other New York City venues, such as Central Park and Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room. This pingponging between event spaces lasted until 1971. The gala took up official residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972.
2. A fashion icon gave it a facelift … but not the one you probably think
After being let go from her role as the editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1971, Diana Vreeland joined the Met Gala’s event committee as a consultant and shifted the big night into the spotlight. Under her guidance, the Met Gala changed from a snobby society gathering to an annual themed bash that actually took place at the Met—with a dinner inside the Medieval Sculpture Hall. (How cool!)
Celebrities including Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Elton John and Elizabeth Taylor (among many, many others) soon joined the fun, with photographers snapping every arrival. Vreeland even convinced her friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to serve as co-chair of the gala in 1976 and 1977. Vreeland was involved until her death in 1989.
3. Anna Wintour took it to the next level
Not only does the legendary Vogue editor-in-chief serve as the inspiration for Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but she’s also responsible for wielding her power and connections to elevate the Met Gala into a global sensation. Wintour first co-chaired in 1995, which meant invitees included supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, along with designers Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld. Princess Diana attended one year later, further cementing its status.
Wintour took over as chairperson in 1999 and has overseen the gala (and the guest list) ever since. Now, top-tier Hollywood stars mix with politicians and athletes and cultural figures, and celebrity co-hosts such as Zendaya and Jennifer Lopez tend to later appear on the cover of Vogue. (FYI, Zendaya won’t be at this year’s event, reportedly because she has a press-heavy schedule this spring.)
4. The themes are chosen by committee
Ever since “The World of Balenciaga” in 1973, attendees are encouraged to adhere to the night’s annual theme to pay tribute to the Costume Institute’s accompanying exhibition. Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute chief curator, told Vogue France in 2020 that the theme is intended to generate controversy: “I think it’s important to stimulate debate to put ideas out there that are difficult to deal with or seen as problematic. That’s the role of any museum: to expand people’s ideas about a topic through objects.”
He and his team come up with the idea up to a year in advance but must present it to the museum’s director and president for approval. Wintour gives the final green light. Some of the more provocative recent ones include “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” (2008), “Punk: Chaos to Couture” (2013) and “Camp: Notes on Fashion” (2019). For the “Camp” theme, Lady Gaga donned a pink cape dress with a bow and a 25-foot train that required a team of dancers helping her up the steps. As for Kim Kardashian’s Marilyn Monroe moment? That was for 2022’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.”
There was no theme in 1991, 2000 or 2002.
5. Cher delivered one of the night’s most controversial (and influential) fashion moments
Back in 1974, Cher shook up the stuffy status quo by pioneering the “naked dress.” For that year’s theme, “Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design,” the star arrived with designer Bob Mackie in a sheer, jewel-encrusted jumpsuit with head-to-toe feathered fringe. “The place went crazy,” Mackie told Interview of the frock that Cher picked out herself. “I’ve never seen so many photographers come out of the shadows of the Met and take her picture … but it was amazing. People were horrified—they thought, That’s not fashion.”
While Cher might have been the first celeb to don the “naked dress” at the Met Gala, she certainly wasn’t last. Blake Lively (Chanel in 2011), Beyoncé (Givenchy in 2015), Kendall Jenner (Givenchy in 2021) and Elle Fanning (Balmain in 2024) are a few A-listers who’ve modeled their own versions.
6. You can’t buy a ticket—and some celebrities can’t go even if they want to
Sorry, but even great Vogue connections won’t necessarily get you into that museum hall. The gala is by invite-only and consists of about 450 or so guests. And yes, Wintour is hard-core about who makes the list. She confirmed in 2017 that Donald Trump would never be invited back (he hasn’t attended since 2012). And Project Runway co-host/mentor Tim Gunn said in 2016 that he was banned after publicly expressing his shock at once seeing Wintour “being carried down five flights of stairs by two bodyguards—two big hulking men—from a fashion show.” FYI, the Friends cast members have also never attended the event. For reasons unknown.
7. It can cost up to six figures to attend the event
Even with the golden ticket, you still have to pay up. The price was reportedly close to $75,000 in 2025 and $100,000 in 2026, with tables of 10 starting at $350,000. However, most celebrities attend free of charge as guests of the brands or design houses (such as Chanel and Gucci) that purchase tables.
So what does all that money get you? Red-carpet access, a cocktail hour (that allows time for guests to walk around the Met’s new costume exhibit) and a formal multicourse dinner capped by a musical performance. For dessert in 2018, per Vogue, guests were served gold-dusted truffles, chocolate-dipped cape gooseberries and an amaretto semifreddo cone topped with a gold pearl. Not bad.
8. There’s always A-list entertainment
You want opera? Go to the other Met in New York City. Only the hottest pop stars put on mini concerts for the guests at the Met Gala. Here’s a fun bit of music trivia: The tradition started in 2010, when Lady Gaga sang “Bad Romance” as part of the year’s “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” exhibit. Other performances have included Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids” in 2014, Rihanna doing “B— Better Have My Money” in 2015 and Madonna performing “Like a Prayer” in 2018. In 2024, Ariana Grande did a medley of her hits, like “Into You” and “Seven Rings,” and brought on surprise guest (and Wicked co-star) Cynthia Erivo. Last year, Stevie Wonder and Usher were the headliners.
9. Guests must abide by the rules
What happens at the Met Gala stays at the Met Gala. Well, for the most part. Once guests have entered the museum, they are instructed to abide by a no-phone and no-social-media policy. (Vogue does publish exclusive photos and videos following the event.) However, in 2017, several celebrities and models—including Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Frances Bean Cobain, Paris Jackson, Rami Malek and Behati Prinsloo—broke all the rules. Not only did they smoke in the bathroom (a violation of New York’s Smoke-Free Air Act), but they also posted a series of selfies on Instagram and Snapchat!
10. A movie once recreated the entire event
The 2018 comedy Ocean’s 8 didn’t feature George Clooney or Brad Pitt, but it did boast a fun centerpiece in which the female thieves (played by Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett) pull off a jewel heist at the Met Gala. While the scene was not filmed during the actual live event, the cast and crew did descend on the Met in early 2017. With the permission of Wintour (who makes a cameo), Vogue editors and the museum team, the production recreated the gala by setting up a faux red carpet—hello there, Serena Williams!—and an exhibition using actual museum spaces and a soundstage set. Heidi Klum, Katie Holmes and Tommy Hilfiger also appear in the scene to add to the authenticity.
11. Rihanna is always fashionably late
Last, but never least: Rihanna, the music icon (and Ocean’s 8 co-star) who makes a point to exit her limo at the eleventh hour. Though invitees are instructed to arrive by 8 p.m.-ish for dinner (and the red carpet closes at 9), Wintour has said during her “73 Questions” Vogue interview that Rihanna is the only star allowed to bypass the rule.
In 2025, she showed up at 10 p.m. in a Marc Jacobs bustier-and-suit ensemble to officially reveal her baby bump; she arrived at the same time in 2021 and 2023. However, she did make a prompt appearance in 2018 … when she was an event co-chair and performed. That also happened to be the year she wore a controversial pope-inspired ensemble, complete with a mitre and heavily beaded corset and robe, designed by John Galliano for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme.
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Sources:
- Architectural Digest: “The Met Gala’s Fascinating History in 31 Photos”
- Time: “The History Behind the Met Gala”
- Vogue France: “How the Met Gala Theme Is Decided Each Year”
- Business Insider: “Met Gala Tickets, Which Are Invite-Only, Cost $75,000. Here’s What That Gets Attendees”
- Grazia: “Memories from Met Gala Past: The Cigarettes and Selfies Inside the Bathroom at the 2017 Met Gala”
- Vogue: “Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Met Gala”
- People: “See the 16 Most Controversial Met Gala Looks Ever”
- Slate: “How Ocean’s 8 Put Together a Gala Worthy of a Met”
- People: “A Look at Rihanna’s Fashionably Late Met Gala Appearances (Approved by Anna Wintour)”
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