The 2026 Met Gala Theme and Dress Code, Explained

Catherine Santino, Samantha StutsmanMon, May 4, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

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Beyoncé Knowles at the 2016 Met Gala on May 2, 2016 in New York City; Anna Wintour at the 2025 Met Gala on May 05, 2025 in New York City; Nicole Kidman at the 2025 Met Gala on May 05, 2025 in New York City.Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty -

The 2026 Met Gala will take place tonight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

This year's theme is "Costume Art," and the dress code is "Fashion is Art"

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams are among this year's co-chairs

The 2026 Met Gala is just hours away.

Held annually on the first Monday in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the star-studded event doubles as a high-profile fundraiser and a fashion spectacle, where celebrities debut their most eye-catching, conversation-starting looks.

Guests are also expected to interpret the evening's theme through their attire. This year's exhibition, “Costume Art,” is paired with the dress code “Fashion is Art,” leaving plenty of room for creativity — and bold risks — on the red carpet.

That open-ended approach only adds to the anticipation, especially when it comes to repeat standouts like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, who are known for delivering some of the night's most memorable looks.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour will serve as the co-chairs for the 2026 gala.

Here's everything you about the 2026 Met Gala's theme and dress code.

What is the 2026 Met Gala theme?

Colman Domingo at the 2025 Met Gala.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The theme of the 2026 Met Gala is "Costume Art," tied to the Met's upcoming exhibit of the same name.

Announced in November 2025, the show will debut the Costume Institute's first permanent galleries — the nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries near the museum's Great Hall. Curator Andrew Bolton called the expansion “a huge moment,” adding, “It will be transformative for our department … and for fashion more generally — the fact that an art museum like The Met is actually giving a central location to fashion.”

The "Costume Art" exhibition explores “the centrality of the dressed body” by pairing garments with paintings, sculptures and objects spanning 5,000 years of art.

“What connects every curatorial department … is fashion, or the dressed body,” he said. “Even the nude is never naked. It's always inscribed with cultural values and ideas.”

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Bolton has organized the exhibition around three thematic body types: those commonly represented in art, those that are often overlooked (like aging and pregnant bodies) and universal bodies (like the anatomical body).

The “Costume Art” exhibit will run from May 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, following the Met Gala.

What is the 2026 Met Gala dress code?

Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2025 Met Gala.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

In February 2026, Vogue announced that the 2026 Met Gala dress code is "Fashion is Art."

The dress code is intentionally open-ended, encouraging guests to treat clothing as a form of artistic expression and use the body as a canvas. Tied to the exhibition's focus on the “dressed body,” the theme invites designers and celebrities to explore how fashion interacts with form, rather than simply recreating famous artworks.

That creative freedom means the red carpet will likely feature a wide range of interpretations — from sculptural silhouettes that reshape the body to looks inspired by painting and art history, as well as dramatic, gallery-worthy pieces that feel more like installations than traditional gowns or suits.

What was the first-ever Met Gala theme?

Lady Gaga attends the 2019 Met Gala.Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The Costume Institute began hosting its fundraising benefits in 1948, but it was Diana Vreeland — who served as Vogue's editor-in-chief from 1963 to 1971 — who introduced the concept of themed galas while working as a consultant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her 1973 theme, “The World of Balenciaga,” helped set the stage for the fashion-meets-art approach the event is known for today.

Themes became more central to the Met Gala in the mid-1990s — particularly after Wintour took over as chair in 1995, per Vogue. Under her leadership, the gala became closely tied to the Costume Institute's annual exhibition, with each theme influencing not only the event's design but also what guests wear on the red carpet.

What were the Met Gala themes in recent years?

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend the 2023 Met Gala.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

In recent years, the Met Gala has embraced a wide range of themes tied to the Costume Institute's annual exhibition. In 2025, the theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," following 2024's “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”

In 2023, the gala honored designer Karl Lagerfeld with “A Line of Beauty,” while 2022 and 2021 were both centered on American style with “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” and “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” respectively.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”