The Met Gala organizers have announced the 2026 dress code theme – “Fashion is Art.” Guests of the annual ball, traditionally held on the first Monday in May – this year, May 4 – at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, are invited to imagine themselves as a blank canvas on which an artist or designer creates their creation.
The dress code theme organically resonates with the concept of the spring exhibition “The Art of Costume,” to which the ball is dedicated. The exhibition explores the “centrality of the clothed body” through images and interpretations of the human form in the museum’s collection. It will unite nearly 400 exhibits and be located in the new Condé Nast Galleries, located next to the Great Hall.
This year’s ball will be co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. Honorary Chairs: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. Co-chairs of the Gala Organizing Committee: Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz.
The Met Gala is held as a benefit evening in support of The Costume Institute in New York City. She opens a new fashion exhibition at the museum each year. The first ball was held in 1948.