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By Melissa Fleur Afshar and Jenni Fink
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On the first Monday in May, the marble steps of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art transform into the most-scrutinized runway on Earth and while Beyonce wowed everyone on the red carpet, the important part of the night wasn't about her at all.
Beyonce arrived toward the end of the carpet with her daughter Blue Ivy Carter and her husband Jay-Z. Beyonce wore a glittery skeleton dress and Blue Ivy wore an all white dress with a white jacket. Beyonce's look was created by Olivier Rousteing and she told Lala that the night was about celebrating him and all the different types of bodies that are out there.
"It feels surreal because my daughter's here," Beyonce told Lala. "It's incredible to be able to share it with her."
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This year, on May 4, the world's most-powerful names in fashion, film, music, and sport will once again ascend those storied stairs—this time, draped in the language of art itself, as the Met Gala 2026 invites its guests to interrogate where couture ends and canvas begins.
The 2026 Costume Institute Benefit, called by most nowadays the Met Gala, marks the inauguration of nearly 12,000 square feet of permanent gallery space at the Met, to be named the Condé M. Nast Galleries. The theme this year—"Costume Art"—asks designers and their celebrity collaborators to consider the dressed human body not merely as a bearer of garments, but as an artistic medium.
With Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams serving as co-chairs, and Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez as lead sponsors, the evening promises its usual spectacle. Arriving with Kidman and Sanchez, Wintour showed off a blue-green custom Chancel dress with a feathered cape.
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While Wintour was praised for her outfit (few people dare to criticize the fashion expert), Wintour's outfit looked fairly similar to one that she wore in 2019. That year, the theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion," and Wintour told CNN ahead of time that she planned on paying homage to the Susan Sontag essay that inspired the theme.
“There’s a quote from Sontag’s Notes [on Fashion] that says ‘Camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of 3 million feathers’ so I think I might be taking inspiration from that,” Wintour told CNN.
Wintour's gown in 2019 was also made by Chanel and she paired it with a pink and black feathered cape. It marked a departure from her usual choice to maintain a simple silhouette to keep the focus on the stars attending the event.
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Early on in the red carpet, fans of the event got a special treat with a Met Gala First. Less than 15 minutes into the event, it was revealed that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was going to attend for the first time.
"Lauren and I have been blessed and inspired to be a part of some very cool things - and this is one of coolest ever. We’re pumped to step out and have fun, and honored to rock Thom Browne all night with some edge, some mana - and vibe," Johnson posted on Instagram.
Johnson added that most red carpets he's on, it's for a "competition" because it's a movie premiere and you want ratings. But, this is just about "fashion" and it's great.
"The wish for this upcoming year, oh man, it's to continue to create an environment for my babies, I'm a proud girl dad ... continue to do that ... continue to chase the things that I love as opposed to everyone else's dreams," Johnson told reporters on the carpet.
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Where and When Is the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Museum Mile stretch of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. It is organized by Vogue magazine.
The 2026 edition takes place on Monday, May 4.
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The red carpet officially opens at 6 p.m. EST (3 p.m. PST), though early arrivals are expected from 4:30 p.m. EST (1:30 p.m. PST) onwards.
Each year, the evening's dress code is guided by the Costume Institute's spring exhibition theme. Attendees are encouraged to interpret that theme through their choice of designer, resulting in some of the most-elaborate and debated outfits in recent cultural memory.
Last year's theme, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," was curated by Andrew Bolton, alongside guest curator Dr. Monica L. Miller.
The Met Gala 2026 Theme
This year, Bolton returns with a theme of arresting ambition. The 2026 Met Gala theme is "Costume Art," inspired, according to the curator, by "the centrality of the dressed body in the museum's vast collection."
The accompanying exhibition will feature paintings, sculptures, and objects spanning 5,000 years of art history, displayed alongside historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute's own holdings.
The exhibition will inaugurate the Condé M. Nast Galleries, a permanent fashion-dedicated space adjacent to the Met's Great Hall—a landmark development for an institution that has long championed dress as one of the great art forms.
The dress code issued to guests this year is "Fashion is Art," with an invitation to consider "the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas."
Met Gala 2026 Protests
In the days leading up to Monday's event, anti-Bezos posters have appeared across New York City streets, targeting Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez in their capacities as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.
Some of the posters carry the slogan "Boycott the Bezos Met Gala" and deploy imagery designed to jar against the glamour of the occasion. Activists have called for a boycott to protest both Amazon's labor practices and its alleged association with U.S. immigration enforcement agencies.
That tension escalated when New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, would not be attending the 2026 Met Gala, breaking with a longstanding tradition of mayoral attendance. Speaking to Hell Gate, Mamdani made clear that his admiration for the institution itself remains intact but that his priorities lay elsewhere.
List of Celebrities Attending
This year's co-chairs are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, while Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz are leading the host committee. Kidman's daughter, Sunday Rose, also attended the event and the rules were actually changed for her. Usually, people have to be 18 to attend, but an exception was made for Sunday Rose, who is 17 years old.
"Tonight is all about art," Williams told reporters on the red carpet.
Also attending as part of the host committee are Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Sinéad Burke, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Misty Copeland, Alex Consani, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, Rebecca Hall, LISA, Chloe Malle, Aimee Mullins, Amy Sherald, Tschabalala Self, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Anna Weyant, Lauren Wasser, A'ja Wilson, Chase Sui Wonders, and Yseult.
Working the red carpet as hosts will be Emma Chamberlain, Cara Delevingne, Ashley Graham, and La La Anthony.
Among those widely expected to attend are Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, perennial Met royalty who reliably deliver some of the evening's most-discussed looks. Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, and Hailey Bieber are anticipated to arrive together, as in recent years. Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Dua Lipa, Chappell Roan, Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Bad Bunny, Jacob Elordi, Doechii, Jenna Ortega, Jennie, Mia Goth, Laura Harrier, Serena Williams, and Pharrell Williams are also on the rumored guest list.
Fashion watchers are additionally hoping to see Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams on the carpet; since the show's debut in late 2025, the pair have become certified fashion darlings.
While New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to attend, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin was spotted at th event, walking the red carpet in a black gown. New York City Comptroller Mark Levine also attended the event, arriving shortly before Williams.
Reverend Al Sharpton called Mamdani's choice to not attend "his decision" in an interview with Spectrum News, and said that he wanted to attend to "support Beyonce."
Ben Stiller also appeared at the Met Gala in a fairly subdued look by Met Gala standards. But, Stiller was wearing an orange tie in a possible nod to the New York Knicks being in the second round of the playoffs. Stiller, a lifelong New Yorker, has been spotted at many of the games in celebrity row. Kylie Jenner showed up at the Met Gala without her boyfriend, Timothee Chalamet. It's possible Chalamet chose to go to the Knicks game instead. Both Chalamet and Jenner have been regularly spotted at the games. Jenner wore a dress that was meant to resemble a ball gown that had been taken off, wearing a brown corset with fake nipples and a belly button on it.
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Kim Kardashian told Lala Anthony on the red carpet that she was excited to see her sisters because even though they talk about their looks in a family group chat, it's not the same as seeing it all put together at the actual event.
In contrast to Stiller's muted look, Katy Perry showed up in a white gown with a long trail, wearing custom Stella McCartney. She also wore a mirror mask over her face. In the exhibition at the Met, "Costume is Art," the mannequins are wearing mirrors over their faces so while you're looking at the mannequin you're also looking at yourself.
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Heidi Klum had one of the most talked about moments of the night, going all out for the event. It shouldn't really surprise anyone because of how extravagant her Halloween costumes are and the E! News panelists noted that you can only pull this off when you're one of the most beautiful women on the planet.
She said in an interview at the event that she got inspired for her look at the Met Museum and asked her designer if there ways a way to make a marble statue out of fabric.
"It's a little on the toasty side," Klum said about the costume being hot. "What a fun Met."
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Blake Lively arrived at the event hours after releasing a statement that she settled with Justin Baldoni and her dress was so long and heavy that it was difficult for her to make it up the stairs. With photographers clamoring for her attention, Lively adjusted her dress and gave directions to the people helping her. She apologized to the photographers, but explained why she was being particular.
"They worked so hard on it, I have to make it nice," Lively seemed to say on the red carpet.
Her dress was made by Versace and Lively told Lala that the dress was from the 2006 archives but the train was added specifically for the met. "It looks like a sunrise and sunset water color," Lively said.
Lively's purse had her kid's art on it, looking like it was in a frame. She called it her "little comfort."
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Fashion designer Christian Siriano criticized the looks for being "boring," while on the E! News set, adding that the flowers on the set were more interesting. Siriano said the theme is "costume art," giving stars a chance to take risks and go big and instead he said they played it safe. One look he did love is Janelle Monae, who he dressed, and said that the dress was intended to express that art is greater than the machine.
"This is what you should wear for an art scene gala," Siriano said.
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How To Watch
The official 2026 Met Gala livestream will be broadcast on Vogue.com and across Vogue's social media channels, including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
E! will provide dedicated red-carpet coverage via Live From E!: Met Gala 2026, available on cable television or streamed through Peacock, Hulu Live, YouTube TV, FuboTV, or Sling TV.
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