The Exclusive Extravaganza: 15 Fascinating Facts About the Met Gala

1. The first Met Gala was a $50 dinner.

The Met Gala was founded in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as a fundraiser for the newly established Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first event was a midnight supper, and tickets cost 50 dollars. For more than two decades, it was a society party for wealthy New Yorkers and the fashion industry, held at venues such as the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room rather than at the museum itself.

2. Today a single ticket costs $100,000.

The price of attending has soared in recent years. A ticket cost 50,000 dollars in 2023 and 75,000 dollars in 2024, before rising to 100,000 dollars for the 2026 Gala. Most guests do not pay for themselves, however. Fashion houses and companies buy whole tables and invite the celebrities who will wear their designs.

3. The 2026 Gala raised a record $42 million.

The Met Gala is one of the biggest single fundraising nights in New York. It raised 9 million dollars in 2013 and a then-record 17.4 million dollars in 2022. In 2026, the total jumped to a record 42 million dollars. The money goes to the Costume Institute, which depends on the Gala to fund its exhibitions, acquisitions and operations.

4. Diana Vreeland turned it into a themed spectacle.

When the legendary former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland became a consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, she transformed the event. Under her direction, the Gala moved into the Metropolitan Museum and began to follow the theme of each year's exhibition. She also brought in stars such as Cher, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger and Elton John, mixing celebrities with New York's high society.

5. Anna Wintour has run it for three decades.

Anna Wintour, the longtime editor-in-chief of American Vogue, has chaired or co-chaired the Met Gala since 1995, with the exception of the 1996 event. Under her leadership, it became a global media event watched by millions online. Wintour personally approves the guest list, and an invitation is one of the most sought-after in the entertainment world.

6. Donald Trump was reportedly banned from attending.

Donald Trump attended the Met Gala regularly between 2004 and 2012. Anna Wintour later said in an interview that he would not be invited back, and he is often described as the first celebrity to be openly banned from the event. Even being rich and famous is no guarantee of a seat.

7. The museum closes to the public for the day.

The Met Gala takes place on the first Monday in May, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art closes to regular visitors that day to prepare. The evening marks the opening of the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, which then runs for several months. The date has become so famous that a 2016 documentary about the event was simply called "The First Monday in May".

8. Selfies are banned inside.

Since 2015, guests have been told not to take selfies or post on social media once inside the museum. The rule is meant to keep the party private and make the official photographs more valuable. Not everyone obeys: several stars have been caught taking secret group selfies in the museum's bathrooms, which has become something of an annual tradition.

9. Onions and garlic are off the menu.

According to numerous reports from people involved in planning the event, the dinner menu avoids onions, garlic and chives. The reason is simple: guests spend the night talking face to face, posing for photos and mingling with some of the most famous people in the world, and nobody wants bad breath. Bruschetta and parsley are also said to be avoided because they can easily get stuck in teeth.

10. Nobody under 18 is allowed in.

Since 2018, guests must be at least 18 years old. Vogue explained that the Gala, with its late hours and alcohol, was not an appropriate environment for minors. Before the rule, a number of young celebrities and children of famous parents had attended.

11. A gala exhibition became the most visited show in the Met's history.

The 2018 Met Gala celebrated the exhibition "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination", which included around 40 papal robes and objects from the Sistine Chapel sacristy that had never been shown outside the Vatican. The exhibition attracted 1,659,647 visitors, making it the most visited exhibition in the history of the Metropolitan Museum. At the Gala itself, Rihanna arrived dressed as a pope, complete with a jewelled mitre.

12. The Costume Institute is named after Anna Wintour.

In 2014, after a major renovation, the Costume Institute's home was renamed the Anna Wintour Costume Center in recognition of her fundraising. It was formally opened on 5 May 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama. Wintour's work for the Gala has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the institute.

13. Rihanna's "omelette" gown took two years to make.

At the 2015 Gala, themed "China: Through the Looking Glass", Rihanna wore a huge yellow cape gown by Chinese couturier Guo Pei. The hand-embroidered dress took about two years and tens of thousands of hours to create, weighed around 25 kilograms (55 pounds) and had a train about 5 metres (16 feet) long. Internet users compared it to an omelette and a pizza, and it became one of the most famous Met Gala looks of all time.

14. Guests must greet their hosts in a receiving line.

After walking the famous red carpet up the museum steps, guests do not simply head to the party. They first join a receiving line to greet Anna Wintour and the evening's co-chairs, an old-fashioned society custom that the Gala has kept. Even the biggest stars must wait their turn.

15. The party takes place beside an ancient Egyptian temple.

Part of the evening is held in the museum's grand spaces, including the gallery that houses the Temple of Dendur, an Egyptian temple built around 2,000 years ago and given to the United States by Egypt in the 1960s. The night often ends with a surprise musical performance, such as Madonna's appearance at the 2018 Gala, and the performer's identity is usually kept secret until the last moment.