What time is the 2026 Met Gala? How to watch the red carpet livestream, guest list, theme explained, and more

It’s nearly time for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to roll out the red carpet for the 2026 Met Gala. The dress code for tonight’s star-studded fundraiser for the Costume Institute is “Fashion Is Art,” in conjunction with the spring exhibition’s theme, “Costume Art.” The 2026 Met Gala is co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and, as always, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.

Attendees will begin hitting the iconic Met stairs on Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of the carpet from the official Vogue Met Gala livestream and other media outlets will begin at 6 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know about tuning into the 2026 Met Gala.

When is the 2026 Met Gala?

The 2026 Met Gala will take place on Monday, May 4.

Met Gala start time:

Met Gala red carpet coverage kicks off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on May 4.

Met Gala channel:

The actual gala portion of the Met Gala isn’t actually filmed — guests even have to abide by a no-phone policy. But to watch your favorite celebrities hit the red carpet ahead of the gala, you can tune into the official Vogue Met Gala livestream (for free!) starting at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube (or right here on this page).

Watch on YouTube

The official livestream will be hosted by Ashley Graham, La La Anthony, and Cara Delevingne. Emma Chamberlain will also return as Vogue’s red carpet correspondent.

Many media outlets will also livestream their Met Gala coverage on YouTube — including AP, TODAY, Reuters, and more.

E! will also be covering the 2026 Met Gala red carpet live. E! coverage will also kick off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. E!’s coverage will stream on Peacock, and you can catch E! with most cable packages or a live TV streaming service.

Where can I watch the Met Gala?

More ways to watch the 2026 Met Gala:

2026 Met Gala live updates:

Looking for live updates of the Met Gala red carpet? Yahoo Entertainment has you covered.

2026 Met Gala theme:

The Met Gala theme — or dress code — is always inspired by the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition. This year, the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition is, “Costume Art.” In conjunction with the upcoming exhibition, this year’s Met Gala dress code is “Fashion Is Art.”

Guests are invited “to express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history,” according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2026 Met Gala co-chairs:

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour will serve as cochairs of the 2026 Met Gala.

The Met Gala host committee will be chaired by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, to support the event. The committee is Adut Akech, Angela Bassett, Sinéad Burke, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Misty Copeland, Alex Consani, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, Rebecca Hall, Lisa, Chloe Malle, Aimee Mullins, Amy Sherald, Tschabalala Self, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Anna Weyant, Lauren Wasser, A’ja Wilson, Chase Sui Wonders and Yseult.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the lead sponsors for this year’s gala and exhibition, will act as honorary chairs.

2026 Met Gala guest list:

Vogue EIC Anna Wintour has been in charge of the guest list since 1995 and carefully selects the attendees. The event is invitation only and celebrity guests typically attend at the invitation of a brand, though individual tickets can reportedly be purchased for $75,000 apiece.

This year’s confirmed guest list will, of course, include the co-chairs and host committee.

Past year’s have seen celebrities including Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Timothee Chalamet, Katy Perry, Doja Cat and Zendaya.