Met Gala 2026: How to watch, what’s the theme and everything you need to know about fashion’s biggest night
The world’s biggest fashion event is back, with a fresh theme and global stars set to take over the red carpet.
The first Monday in May — or Tuesday morning for those of us down under — has been the biggest event on the fashion calendar for decades.
The steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art are transformed into a catwalk attended by some of the biggest names in entertainment.
The Met Gala is a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute, with last year raising an estimated $US31 million ($42,980,043).
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What is the Meta Gala 2026 theme?
To celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Costume art”, this year’s theme for the Met Gala is “Fashion is art”.
The exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton, is an exploration of the relationship between clothing and the body underneath. It will be organised into a series of thematic body types, including the Naked Body, the Pregnant Body, and the Ageing Body.
Although it is near impossible to predict what the A-listers will wear, this year’s theme makes it even more difficult.
Attendees could interpret the theme literally and wear art, or lean into the exhibition’s body theme, or perhaps those at home might witness a piece of performance art on the steps.
The possibilities are endless.
How to watch
While the gala itself is notoriously secretive and cameras are forbidden inside the venue, it is one of the most anticipated red carpets of the year.
For Australians, Vogue will be hosting a livestream of the carpet across all of their social media channels and YouTube.
For those on the east coast of Australia, the broadcast will kick off at 8am AEST, or 6am AWST for those in the west.
This year, Vogue’s coverage will be hosted by Ashley Graham, Cara Delvigne, and La La Anthony. Emma Chamberlain will return as the magazine’s red carpet correspondent.
Who will be there?
The guest list, usually about 450 people, will remain a secret until black SUVs start pulling up at the base of the steps and the stars hit the carpet.
Every invitation is personally signed off by Anna Wintour, who has been chair or co-chair of the Met Gala every year since 1995.
However, each year, the event is co-chaired by a handful of influential people. The 2026 Met Gala will be helmed by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.
It will be Beyoncé’s first appearance at the fundraiser since 2016.
Co-chairs of the Met Gala Host Committee are fashion designer Anthony Vaccarello and actor Zoë Kravitz.
Other committee members include Sabrina Carpenter,Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Teyana Taylor, Lena Dunham and Vogue’s head of editorial content, Chloe Malle.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, will serve as honorary chairs for the event.
As for the rest, we’ll just have to wait and see.
How to get an invite to the Met Gala
The Super Bowl of fashion is invitation only, but comes with a hefty price-tag.
Individual tickets are priced around $US75,000 ($104,098), with tables reported at costing upwards of $US350,000 ($485,726).
Typically, though, tickets for celebrities are paid for by fashion brands who host them as guests, in attempt to generate publicity.
The exclusive event has a strict no-selfie rule, so those not on the invite list do not get a peek inside.
However, it is understood attendees are treated to live performances, cocktails, dinner, and access to the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition.
