The biggest night in fashion is almost here. The 2025 Met Gala is coming up on the first Monday in May, celebrating the opening of this year’s spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The annual event has given us countless memorable style moments ever since its 1948 debut, and the 2025 iteration is sure to continue the evening’s tradition of statement-making style.
The Met Gala, also known as the Costume Institute Benefit, was introduced in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It started out as an invitation-only midnight dinner filled with members of New York society, who paid $50 per ticket to attend. In the ‘70s, the gala began to evolve into the splashy event as we now know it. It was moved to its current location at the Met, and gala themes and dress codes were aligned with the corresponding exhibition at the Met’s Costume Institute. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour became chairwoman in 1995, and under her tenure, the Met Gala further transformed into the multimillion-dollar fête it is today. Wintour has hosted and overseen the event for the past two decades, from chairing the benefit committee to curating the invitation list.
The 2025 Met Gala is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” and as always, the guest list is expected to include A-listers from every sector, from actors and musicians to sports stars and fashion moguls. While we wait for the fashion event of the year, here is everything you need to know about 2025’s Met Gala.
A Guide to the 2025 Met Gala
What is the Met Gala?
Widely considered the most important night in fashion, the Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The annual event coincides with the opening of a new fashion exhibition at the Met; the Gala’s theme correlates to that of the exhibition. While the tickets were only around $50 at the first-ever Met Gala, last year’s individual tickets were reportedly priced at $75,000. The gala is the main source of funding for the Costume Institute’s exhibitions, acquisitions and improvements. Though much of the excitement happens on the red carpet, the evening becomes a much more private affair when guests enter the Met. There are few to no photos of the dinner and party inside the gala, with only a few celebrities venturing to post their insider photos to social media.
Cardi B.
The Hollywood Reporter via Getty
When and where is the Met Gala?
The Met Gala (almost) always takes place on the first Monday in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue. The 2025 Met Gala is on Monday, May 5, and the red carpet starts at 5:30 p.m.
New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Who are the 2025 Met Gala hosts?
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has been a co-chair for the Met Gala since 1995. In addition to Wintour, this year’s Met Gala co-chairs are Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams, with LeBron James serving as the honorary chair. The gala is also reviving the host committee, including André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Grace Wales Bonner, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, Olivier Rousteing, Tyla, Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, Janelle Monáe, Regina King, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Kara Walker and USher, among others.
Pharrell Williams, Anna Wintour, Lewis Hamilton, and Andrew Bolton
Taylor Hill/WireImage via Getty
What is this year’s theme?
The 2025 Met Gala’s theme aligns with the Met exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The exhibition will focus on the concept of the Black dandy and examine the importance of fashion to Black identity throughout history, per Vogue. The theme draws from guest curator and Barnard professor Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” Miller is working with Costume Institute Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton on the exhibit. The exhibition will be on view at The Met from May 10 through Oct. 26, 2025.
Andrew Bolton and Monica Miller.
Hippolyte Petit/BFA.com
What is the Met Gala dress code?
The 2025 dress code is “Tailored for You,” and focuses on menswear and suiting. This year’s co-chairs are great examples of innovative menswear, as Hamilton, Domingo, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell have debuted several inspiration-worthy Met Gala outfits themselves.
Colman Domingo
Madison Voelkel/BFA.com
Who is invited?
The star-studded Met Gala guest list ranges from 450 to 700 names every year, and typically includes actors, musicians, fashion creatives, athletes and more. Politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been in attendance, as has royalty, as Princess Diana was among the guests at the 1996 gala. Much like the evening itself, the guest list is intentionally kept quiet before the first Monday in May. Though this year’s official guest list has not been revealed (aside from the co-chairs and committee), many expect to see notable recurring attendees like Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Kardashian.
Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2014 Met Gala
Julian Mackler/BFAnyc.com
Where to watch?
Vogue’s website and social media channels will livestream the red carpet arrivals.
