The Met Gala or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event and social gathering and is known as "fashion's biggest night";^[4] 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,^[5] organized by the fashion magazine Vogue.

The Gala is an event held annually on the first Monday of May,^[6] which marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit hosted on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.^[7] 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. Over time, the Met Gala has evolved beyond the New York fashion epicenter to become increasingly global and diverse in its perspective and scope.

The Met Gala was established in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as a fundraiser for the newly founded Costume Institute to mark the opening of its annual exhibit. The first gala comprised a dinner, and tickets were 50 dollars each.^[8] Over the first few decades of its existence, the Gala was simply one of many annual benefits held for New York charitable institutions. Accordingly, the attendees of the early Galas were almost entirely members of New York high society or the city's fashion industry. From 1948 to 1971, the event was held at various Manhattan venues, including the Waldorf Astoria, Central Park, and the Rainbow Room.^[9]

When Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, the Gala began to evolve into a more global and glamorous affair, although one that was still aimed at the high-societal set.^[10] The event started to become higher profile celebrity-oriented with attendees like Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Diana Ross, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Cher intermixing with the city's elite.^[9] It was during the Vreeland years that the Gala was first held at the Met and that Gala themes were introduced.^[9]

The Met Gala is widely regarded as among the most prominent and most exclusive social events in the world. It is also one of the biggest fundraising nights in New York City, with US$9 million raised in 2013, $12 million the following year, and then rising to a record $17.4 million by 2022.^{[11][12][13][14]} The Met Gala is one of the most notable sources of funding for the Institute,^[15] with total contributions surpassing $200 million for the first time after the 2019 event. Anna Wintour, the chairperson of the event, assumed the chairmanship of the Institute in 1995. Her guest list grew to include celebrities globally from the worlds of fashion, entertainment, business, sports, and politics who would eventually grace the pages of Vogue.^[5]

Since 1948, the Met Gala has occurred consecutively each year, except in 2000 and 2002.^{[citation needed]} The 2020 Met Gala was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16] The Gala resumed in 2021, but was held in September rather than in May that year.^[17] In 2022, the Gala returned to holding its traditional May ceremony.^[18]

The Met Costume Institute Gala is a highly renowned fundraising benefit that serves as an opening celebration for the Institute's annual fashion exhibit.^[19][20] Following the event, the exhibition runs for several months. For example, the 2014 exhibition was scheduled to run from May 8 until August 10, 2014.^[21] The affair, attended by personalities from the arts, fashion, high-society, film, and music, has been held at the Met since 1948^[22] and is considered to be the fashion industry's premier annual red carpet event.^{[20][23][24][25][26]} Its red carpet fashions are widely photographed, reviewed, critiqued, and emulated.^{[27][28][29][30]} The museum is closed to the general public on the first Monday of May to facilitate the Gala's festivities.^[31]

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue and the lead chairperson of the Gala event since 1995 (excluding 1996 and 1998), oversees both the benefit committee and the guest list, with Vogue staffers helping to assemble the list of invitees.^[7][24] In 2014, the individual tickets cost US$30,000 for those outside the official guest list, after prices were raised by $10,000 to increase the exclusivity of the event.^[32][24][33] The annual guest list is limited to approximately 650 or 700 people.^[34][35] Starting in the 2020s, the Met Gala has started including social-media influencers.^[36] The cost of a seat per guest to attend the Met Gala had risen to US$50,000 by 2023.^[6]

The 2015 Gala and its theme of "China: Through the Looking Glass" became the subject of a documentary—The First Monday in May, directed by Andrew Rossi and produced by Condé Nast Entertainment, Vogue, and Relativity Studios.^[37] 225 approved photographers, reporters, and social media participants documented the event for the documentary.^[38] All other attendees were forbidden from using social media at the event.^[39] Guests received notices about the restriction of selfies and social media inside the gala.^[40] The no-selfie ordinance was extended to the following editions of the Met Gala. Despite the existing "No Selfie Rule," celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Dakota Johnson, and Kylie Jenner have started the tradition of taking an annual selfie in the Met Bathroom. These pictures have become viral for their eclectic grouping of celebrities who are rarely seen in the same room as each other. A no-smoking rule had to be added to the Met Gala bathroom after images of Bella Hadid surfaced smoking in the Met bathroom in 2017, the rule enforced for public health and safety reasons.^[41] The bathroom has become a place of celebrities coming together to socialize more casually outside the formality of the red carpet and where fans worldwide eagerly await an online glimpse into the Met bathroom every year.^[42] As of 2018, Wintour announced that guests may not be allowed to attend the gala before the age of 18.^[43][44] The 2024 Met Gala will take place on Monday, May 6, to be hosted by Anna Wintour and co-hosted by Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny.^[45]

The following is a list of Met Galas, as well as the chairs and entertainment, for the Galas that have taken place since themes were introduced in 1973.

• Caput Mundi
• LGBT culture in New York City
• Ocean's 8
• The First Monday in May