Tonight is the big night. The first Monday of May has come around again and fashion heads and celebrity stans alike will know what that means — Met Gala 2026. Just like with Christmas, the biggest date in the fashion calendar comes around on the same day every year.
Last year's event saw celebrities coming together on the iconic Met steps to ring in the new Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibit in their finest dandy-inspired garbs. Zendaya wore a ‘70s-coded all-white suit and hat; Chappell Roan wore a hot pink ’70s glam look; Demi Moore wore a surreal gown inspired by a men's tie; Jenna Ortega wore a dress made of literal rulers.
This year, the Met Gala 2026 theme is “Costume Art.” According to curator Andrew Bolton, the 2026 Met Gala theme is inspired by “the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection."
Some celebs have been blacklisted from the annual New York event.
The upcoming exhibition will mark the inauguration of nearly 12,000 square feet of the Condé M. Nast Galleries, a fashion-first permanent space located adjacent to The Met's Great Hall. The collection will feature "paintings, sculptures, and other objects spanning the 5,000 years of art represented in The Met, alongside historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute.”
And while the Met Gala might seem like fashion's most fabulous party, there actually are a few surprising rules that guests must follow if they attend the highly-sought after event. Read on below to find out the biggest Met Gala 2026 rules.
The event is invite-only
It doesn't matter how famous you are — if you don't get that coveted invite from Anna Wintour herself, you aren't coming to the Met Gala. According to Amy Odell, the author of Anna: The Biography, people have tried and failed to buy their way in.
“If they were not considered to be in the ‘in’ group, they would not be able to do that,” Odell told TIME. “It created some strife within the society world because it’s not a society event anymore, which is not to say that socialites, in the traditional sense, don't go, but it's not like they can just buy a ticket and show up. I get the sense that within the social world today, there's still some annoyance about that.”
Apparently, a list of hundreds of potential guests is compiled, with Wintour whittling the list down to around 400 invitees.
There is an 18+ restriction
In recent years, Wintour has reportedly added a new policy to her invite-only event — since 2018, only people over the age of 18 are allowed. At the time, Maddie Ziegler, then-15, told The Hollywood Reporter, “I can’t go, because I’m not old enough!” Organisers for the event confirmed that “it’s not an appropriate event for people under 18.” In the past, younger teenage invitees included Elle Fanning, Hailee Steinfeld, and Willow and Jaden Smith.
Guests have to pay for a ticket
Although you can't buy yourself an invite, once you've got that invite, you do need to pay to get in. Everyone, no matter how well-known, has to pay for their own Met Gala ticket… or someone has to pay for them to attend. Often celebrities are hosted (and dressed) by brands or designers who have purchase tables.
Last year, one ticket cost $75,000. A year earlier, it was $50,000). Purchasing a table can put you back $350,000.
After all, you won’t want to miss how celebrities interpret this year’s Fashion Is Art dress code.
Absolutely no phones
The Met Gala is a strictly phone-free event. That means no selfies, no social media, no doomscrolling. Though last night at the Met Gala 2025, a handful of celebrities (who shall remain unnamed) reportedly broke the rule to post a video from inside the reception. (Gasp!)
You have to follow the seating chart
See your friend sitting across the room? Unfortunately, you can't sit with them unless Anna Wintour has placed you there. The seating chart is not a suggestion at the Met Gala.
“We really try to think very carefully about who’s sitting next to each other,” Eaddy Kiernan, who worked on the seating chart in 2024 told British Vogue. “Our ideal pairing would maybe be two people who we think will just get on like a house on fire, but who may not even realise that they have a lot in common. So with each person, we really do take time to think, ‘What will they talk about?’”
Reportedly, spouses are seated separately to encourage conversation. Vogue’s Sylvana Ward Durrett explained, per E, “The whole point of these things is to meet new people, and to be interested in what others are doing. What’s the point if you come here to hang out with your husband?”
Some foods are off limits
Wintour is careful to avoid not-so-glam foods when she's approving the menu for the Met Gala. Off the list are parsley, onion, garlic, chives. As Wintour told Today, “Well, those are three things I’m not particularly fond of.” In fact, this rule is apparently why Katy Perry left onions out of her burger outfit at the 2019 Met Gala.
No smoking inside (duh)
This may seem like an obvious one — after all, the Met is a public building. Their website specifically lists that it's a no-smoking space. However, a number of celebs have been pictured lighting up in the Met Gala bathrooms in the past. During an appearance on CBS Mornings, curator Andrew Bolton was asked the best way to ensure you never get invited back: "Smoking. Smoking in the galleries. Touching the artwork. Those would be no-nos,” he said, per Evening Standard.
This year is seeing a star-studded guest list, including Zoë Kravitz and Kylie Jenner.
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