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Met Gala 2026

What this countdown tracks

The clock above counts down to the Met Gala 2026 on Monday, May 4, 2026, the Costume Institute's annual benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

About this event

The Met Gala is fashion's biggest night and the spring opening event for the Costume Institute's headline exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hosted annually by Anna Wintour, the gala draws the most-photographed names in film, music, fashion, sport, and business onto the Met steps in custom looks that tie to the year's exhibition theme. Proceeds underwrite the Costume Institute, the only Met department that funds itself.

The first-Monday-in-May tradition began under Wintour's stewardship in the late 1990s and has grown into a globally streamed cultural event, with red-carpet livestreams on Vogue's site and YouTube drawing tens of millions of viewers.

What to expect

Theme tied to the spring Costume Institute exhibition opening that week.
A small group of celebrity co-chairs alongside Wintour.
Two-to-three-hour red-carpet arrival window streamed live.
Custom looks from major houses linked to the announced theme.
After-parties hosted around Manhattan once the gala wraps.

Past editions

2025 — Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, with Pharrell Williams co-chairing.
2024 — Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.
2023 — Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.
2022 — In America: An Anthology of Fashion.
2021 — In America: A Lexicon of Fashion (held in September).

How to watch

Vogue streams the red carpet live on Vogue.com and the official Vogue YouTube channel from roughly 18:00 ET, which is 23:00 BST, 00:00 CEST (Tuesday), 03:30 IST (Tuesday), and 07:00 JST (Tuesday). The full carpet typically runs to 21:00 ET. The interior gala dinner is closed to cameras, with social-media moments leaking out through attendees throughout the night.

For more 2026 awards-and-broadcast countdowns, see the Oscars 2026 countdown, the Grammy Awards 2026 countdown, and the BRIT Awards 2026 countdown. For 2027, see the Met Gala 2027 countdown.

FAQ

When is the Met Gala 2026? Monday, May 4, 2026. Where is the Met Gala held? The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Can I watch the Met Gala? Yes — Vogue streams the red carpet live; the dinner is closed. Who hosts the Met Gala? Anna Wintour, with a rotating set of celebrity co-chairs each year.