Met Gala

This article is about the fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. For the Metropolitan Opera gala, see Met Gala (opera).

Met Gala
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan
GenreFundraising gala, contribution of $75,000 per seat to enter the 2024 Met Gala
FrequencyAnnual, held on the first Monday of May[1]
VenueMetropolitan Museum of Art, Costume Institute
Location(s)Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
CountryUnited States
Years active1948–present[2]
FounderEleanor Lambert
Most recentMay 6, 2024 (2024-05-06)
Next eventMay 5, 2025 (2025-05-05)
Organized byVogue
WebsiteThe Costume Institute
The Gala was founded in 1946, and the first major event was held in 1948.[3]

The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event. Fashion stars and models are able to express themselves by their fit according to the theme and social gathering. The event is known as "fashion's biggest night";[4][5] an invitation is highly sought after. Personalities who are perceived to be culturally relevant to contemporary society amongst various professional spheres, including fashion, film, television, music, theater, business, sports, social media and politics, are invited to attend the Met Gala,[6] organized by the fashion magazine Vogue. The entry price for one ticket has risen to US$75,000 in 2024, an increase from $50,000 in 2023, to attend the annual gala in the world's principal financial center and fashion capital, New York City.[7][8]

The Gala is an event held annually on the first Monday of May,[9] which marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit hosted on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.[10] Many of the attendees are depicted on the covers and pages of Vogue. Each year's event celebrates the specific theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition, which sets the tone for the formal attire of the night.

Guests are expected to curate their fashions to match the theme of the annual exhibit, generally in haute couture. Fashion executive Anna Wintour, who is the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has chaired or co-chaired the Met Gala since 1995, except for the 1996 Met Gala, which was chaired by Wintour's successor at British Vogue, Liz Tilberis, who attended with her friend Diana, Princess of Wales.[11] Over time, the Met Gala has evolved beyond the New York fashion epicenter to become increasingly global and diverse in its perspective and scope.

  1. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (May 3, 2018). "What Is the Met Gala, and Who Gets to Go?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Hardie, Beth (May 7, 2018). "What is the Met Gala 2018 theme – and what it means". Mirror (UK). Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  3. ^ Ward, Maria (May 7, 2018). "What Is the Met Gala? Everything You Need to Know". Vogue. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  4. ^ Ali Bauman (May 1, 2023). "Met Gala 2023: Fashion's biggest night honors Karl Lagerfeld". CBS News. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "Met Gala 2024: How to Watch Fashion's Biggest Night". Glamour. April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  6. ^ Annie Brown (May 5, 2019). "How the Met Gala became the 'fashion Oscars'". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Vanessa Friedman (April 24, 2024). "Everything You Need to Know About the 2024 Met Gala". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Shanghai and New York--Similar, But Different". China.org. Retrieved April 24, 2024. It's not without ample reason that many refer to New York City (NYC) as the financial capital of the world...As Shanghai continues to grow and become a center for business in the Far East, New York will remain the financial capital of the world.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference MetGalaMostFamousFashionEventWorld was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "The Costume Institute | The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  11. ^ "Princess Diana's One and Only Met Gala Dress Was Loaded With Meaning". Vogue. February 25, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.