Met Gala set for May 4 red-carpet

The 2026 Met Gala will take place Monday, May 4, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams serving as co-chairs alongside Anna Wintour. (metmuseum.org) (eonline.com) This year’s exhibition is called “Costume Art,” and The Met says it will pair garments with artworks from across the museum to examine how clothing is represented and understood. (metmuseum.org 1) (metmuseum.org 2) The gala dress code is “Fashion is Art,” a phrase tied directly to the exhibition’s premise rather than a single historical era or designer. (metmuseum.org) (yahoo.com) The public exhibition opens May 10, and The Met says it will feature nearly 400 objects from its collection. The show will also inaugurate the museum’s nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries. (metmuseum.org 1) (metmuseum.org 2) That matters because the Met Gala is not just a celebrity red carpet. The Costume Institute says the benefit is its primary source of funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and operations. (metmuseum.org) The gala is held each year on the first Monday in May and traditionally marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s spring show. In 2026, the museum is separating the fundraiser on May 4 from the public opening on May 10. (metmuseum.org 1) (metmuseum.org 2) The Met has also announced honorary co-chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos for the 2026 event. Member preview access to the exhibition begins May 5, ahead of the public opening. (eonline.com) (metmuseum.org) So the May 4 carpet is the high-profile front end of a museum fundraiser, and the main public event arrives six days later when “Costume Art” opens at The Met. (metmuseum.org)