Every spring on the first Monday in May, the stars flock to New York City for the one of the year’s most anticipated fashion events: the Costume Institute Benefit, also known as “the Met Gala” or “Met Ball.”
On November 17, Teen Vogue announced the theme for this May’s upcoming gala will be “Costume Art,” which is also the theme of the exhibition for which the 2026 bash will raise funds. Curator Andrew Bolton says the exhibition’s inspiration is “the centrality of the dressed body in the museumâs vast collection,” per the story.
The report says the upcoming Met Gala is extra special because it marks the opening of a brand-new 12,000-square-foot permanent space to house art and artifacts related to the 5,000 years of art featured in The Metropolitan Museum. The new gallery will be largely fashion-focused, of course.
How Is Jeff Bezos Involved in the Met Gala?
E! News says Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, who married in a lavish celebrity-filled wedding in June 2025, will be majorly involved in the 2026 event. The report says the couple were announced as the gala’s lead donors, meaning their contribution will be the primary source of funding for the “Costume Art” exhibition in the museum.
The outlet says this is a departure from tradition, which typically sees a top fashion house fill the role of lead sponsor. For example, in 2025, Louis Vuitton was the ball’s lead sponsor. In 2023, the role went to Chanel.
However, there have been past exceptions to this tradition. In 2024, the Met Ball’s biggest donor was Tiktok, and in 2018, businessman Stephen A. Schwarzman and his wife Christine filled the role.
Fashion Fans Reacted to the 2026 Met Gala Theme
The Daily Mail says fans have big expectations for the upcoming ball. The outlet quoted one Twitter user as reacting with the remark, “Costume Art for the 2026 Met Gala sounds like it’ll spark some wildly creative outfits can’t wait to see what designers come up with.”
Another quipped they hope the outfits steer towards “elegance” and not “Halloween on a budget.”
Yet another observer shared their hopes that the male celebrities would branch out from their typical attire of suits.
So, who will host the red carpet for the 2026 Met Gala? Well, Teen Vogue says that information hasn’t been revealed just yet, and if organizers stick with their typical MO, we might not know for a while. The publication notes that last year’s hosts, Lala Anthony, Teyana Taylor, and Ego Nwodim were not revealed until two weeks before the ball.
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