*Updated 5/05/2026 to reflect 2025, 2026 fundraising dollar amounts and estimated ticket cost.
Every year on the first Monday of May, the world (or at least the internet) spirals into a frenzy over the Met Gala. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people are in awe, as they sit glued to their TV screens watching the attendees slowly walk up the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Equally, hundreds of thousands of people release an uproar of disapproval and some might even go as far to say disgust, against the exclusive party.
Though it may seem that the Met Gala is simply just another event for the world’s elites to frolic around the MET in one-of-a-kind haute couture ensembles, there is far more than meets the eye. So, who gets to attend and why? But most importantly, what is the fundraiser even for?
The first Met Gala was held in 1948, founded and started by American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert. The gala was organized to fundraise for the newly founded Costume Institute. Since 1948, there has only been four years in which the gala did not take place. Debatably, the grandeur that we now associate with the Met Gala began with the consultation of Diana Vreeland. After her departure as editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1971, Vreeland took on the role as consultant of the Costume Institute. In her position, Vreeland curated exhibits such as the “The World of Balenciaga” in 1973. Roughly twenty-three years later in 1995, Anna Wintour, former editor-in-chief of American Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, became co-chair of the gala and is to this day.
So, what is this fundraiser even for? The Met Gala fundraises money for the department of the MET known as the Costume Institute. According to CBS News, tickets reportedly cost around $100,000 per attendee, and a starting price of $350,000 for a table of 10. This cost is not left to the star-studded guests consisting of the likes of Kim Kardashian, Lewis Hamilton and Emma Chamberlain, but rather to fashion houses and brands such as Louis Vuitton and Amazon. The purpose behind the gala is best described in an article published by Forbes.
The Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute Benefit, which we have all collectively renamed “the Met Gala,” is at its heart a fundraiser. A very successful one. The philanthropic event, staged with great attention paid to pomp and circumstance, voraciously solicits donations from wealthy sources. This is money that the Costume Institute very much needs, and it is a well-known fact that among the various bodies that make up New York City’s most famous museum, the Costume Institute is the only department responsible for producing the funding it requires, including the costs of day to day operations.
Past what I would consider good intent, people criticize the gala for its excess showcase of opulence, and what many would also consider the events distasteful obliviousness to wealth inequality in the United States and beyond.
Hosting roughly 450 attendees each year, the 2025 Met Gala raised a record amount 0f $31 million, surpassing the 2024 amount of $26 million, according to The New York Times. Following two record breaking years, according to Women’s Wear Daily, the 2026 Met Gala has once again broken previous fundraising records with an amount of $42 million. This money not only helps the Costume Institute operate but additionally allows them to curate the yearly themed fashion exhibit which opens to the public following the Met Gala. In addition, funds raised aids the Costume Institute to continue researching, collecting and preserving clothing and accessories. This year, the Met Gala theme is “Costume Art” while the corresponding dress code is “Fashion is Art.” In past years, themes spanned from “China: Through the Looking Glass” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” To this day, my favorite Met Gala theme has to be the 2018 “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
With great exclusivity comes a few standout rules. The biggest possibly being the Met Galas no phone rule. Though attendees always sneak past this, it has become quite common for people to famously take group selfies in the MET’s restrooms.
As we await this year’s Met Gala, learning about the who, what and why may ultimately guide people in better understanding of the event. Whether you are a fanatic of fashion, the arts or simply philanthropy, looking past the buzz of negative criticism and praise can best allow you to make a better-informed judgement. With the event right around the corner, will you be marking your calendars and tuning in this first Monday of May?
