The 2026 Met Gala is shaping up to reinterpret what the famed “first Monday in May” means for fashion and culture. Set for May 4 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the event will spotlight a theme that intentionally blurs the line between couture and fine art, inviting guests to consider what it means to wear creativity itself.
Anchoring this year’s celebration are a quartet of influential figures: global icon Beyonce returns to the Met’s co-chair circle alongside Nicole Kidman, tennis legend Venus Williams, and longtime host and fashion arbiter Anna Wintour. Their leadership signals a night where star power and sartorial ambition converge to define one of fashion’s most talked-about moments of the year.
“Fashion Is Art”: The 2026 Met Gala theme unveiled
The 2026 Met Gala has officially lifted the curtain on its much-anticipated theme, inviting fashion’s elite to rethink the red carpet as a canvas.
Tied to the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the dress code “Fashion Is Art” urges attendees to blur the line between haute couture and fine art, allowing ensembles to transcend mere attire and become expressive, sculptural statements.
It’s a departure from past, more literal themes—here, the human body and clothing are positioned as inseparable components of artistic expression.
Zendaya attends The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” (Source: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Celebrity co-chairs set to lead fashion’s biggest night
Steering one of the year’s most talked-about cultural moments are a quartet of high-profile figures from entertainment, sport and fashion. Music icon Beyonce returns to the Met Gala co-chair spotlight alongside acclaimed actress Nicole Kidman, tennis legend Venus Williams and perennial fashion titan Anna Wintour.
Together they’ll guide the spectacle on May 4, 2026, joined by a star-studded Host Committee that promises a wide array of creative voices on and off the red carpet.
