The Met Gala announces theme for 2026 event
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has revealed the theme for the 2026 Met Gala.
The 2026 Met Gala will have a theme of Costume Art.
The annual gala - which is widely regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event - will be staged on May 4, 2026, and it's been confirmed that Costume Art will be the theme of the star-studded event.
Andrew Bolton, who is curating the Costume Art exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, told Vogue: "It’s a huge moment for the Costume Institute.
"It will be transformative for our department, but I also think it’s going to be transformative to fashion more generally - the fact that an art museum like The Met is actually giving a central location to fashion."
Andrew also discussed the inspiration behind the exhibition.
He said: "What connects every curatorial department and what connects every single gallery in the museum is fashion, or the dressed body.
"It’s the common thread throughout the whole museum, which is really what the initial idea for the exhibition was, this epiphany: I know that we’ve often been seen as the stepchild, but, in fact, the dressed body is front and centre in every gallery you come across. Even the nude is never naked. It’s always inscribed with cultural values and ideas."
The Met Gala always attracts some of the biggest names from the world of fashion and entertainment, and Sabrina Carpenter - who has enjoyed an impressive run of success in recent times - previously revealed that her 2025 Met Gala look was actually inspired by Pharrell Williams.
Sabrina - who has become one of the best-selling artists in the world in recent years - told Vogue: "This is Louis Vuitton, and I’m such a massive fan of Pharrell’s and have been to the show. And I was just like, ‘If I could go this year with him, that would be my dream,’ and it came true. And he was like, ‘You’re quite short, so no pants for you.’ So here we are! Here we are!"
