This combination of photos show A$AP Rocky, from left, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James and Pharrell Williams, who will serve as co-chairs for the next Met Gala. (AP Photo)
This combination of photos shows, top row from left, Simone Biles, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy O. Harris and Regina King, and bottom row from left, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Angel Reese, Tyla and Usher. (AP Photo)
FILE - Vogue editor Anna Wintour attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on May 6, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Monica L. Miller, guest curator of the upcoming Costume Institute exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," looks over designs in the installation room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jocelyn Noveck)
This combination of photos show A$AP Rocky, from left, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James and Pharrell Williams, who will serve as co-chairs for the next Met Gala. (AP Photo)
This combination of photos shows, top row from left, Simone Biles, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy O. Harris and Regina King, and bottom row from left, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Angel Reese, Tyla and Usher. (AP Photo)
FILE - Taxis pass the Metropolitan Museum of Art on March 19, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
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FILE - Vogue editor Anna Wintour attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on May 6, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
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Monica L. Miller, guest curator of the upcoming Costume Institute exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," looks over designs in the installation room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jocelyn Noveck)
NEW YORK (AP) — As springtime sunshine finally hits New York City, the Met Gala beckons — one of the most anticipated and visible parties in the world.
This year, the theme — “Tailored For You" — is focused on classic tailoring. As always, the dress code is at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. is the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. The show looks at the evolution of Black style over the centuries through the lens of dandyism.
Here are some key things to know as fashion's biggest night approaches:
When is the Met Gala?
The gala happens the first Monday in May — this year, May 5.
What exactly is the Met Gala?
Not everyone knows that the gala is actually a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met. in a whopping sum of more than $26 million to the museum's coffers.
Was it always this big?
Definitely not. It started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper – held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.
Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala?
Each year brings a new group of celebrity co-chairs. Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and — along with Anna Wintour, the influential Vogue editor who always oversees the proceedings. is honorary chair.
Who else is attending the Met Gala so far?
Word on attendees trickles out slowly in the weeks leading up to the event. But this year there’s also a with stars from various fields. (They don’t have specific host duties, other than showing up and, it goes without saying, looking fabulous.)
Also in the group are author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.
Can anyone buy a ticket to the Met Gala?
In a word: No. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?
If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?
Individual tickets start at $75,000. Generally, though, companies buy tables. A fashion label, for example, would then host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 this year, as it did last year. There will be approximately 400 guests.
How strict is the dress code?
The code is meant to be a guide, not a hard rule, and loose interpretation is encouraged. Sometimes, that interpretation extends not only to what guests put on, but what they take off. Lady Gaga did a 16-minute striptease on the gala carpet in 2019. Jared Leto spent the evening in 2023 a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld's beloved pet.
How do guests spend the evening?
Guests enter the museum and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s grand lobby – always a talking point. Often there is an orchestra playing nearby. At the top of the grand staircase, Wintour and her co-hosts form a receiving line. Guests then head either . Cocktails are followed by dinner. The most hotly anticipated guests sometimes skip cocktails and even dinner, and arrive around dessert time for maximum impact (we're looking at you, Rihanna).
