This year’s Met Gala, a highly anticipated event in the fashion world, is set to take place on May 6 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The theme for this year’s event is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by a short story by J.G. Ballard. Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lopez will co-chair the gala alongside Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
The Met Gala serves as a fundraiser for the Costume Institute and is known for attracting A-list celebrities who showcase elaborate designer looks on the red carpet. This year’s event will coincide with the opening of the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit at the museum, featuring 250 objects from the Costume Institute’s archive selected for their iconography related to nature.
Among the celebrities expected to attend the Met Gala are Lily Gladstone, Ayo Edebiri, Rihanna, Gisele Bündchen, Kendall Jenner, Olivia Rodrigo, Uma Thurman, and Cara Delevigne. Notably, TikTok is a sponsor of the event and its CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will serve as an honorary co-chair, despite the app facing legislative challenges in the United States due to its ownership by Chinese company ByteDance.
The exhibit will be organized around the themes of earth, air, and water, as well as the senses. Some garments in the exhibit will be accompanied by scent, allowing attendees to experience the natural body odors of the individuals who wore them. The use of artificial intelligence, X-rays, and animation will also be incorporated to display some objects in the exhibit.
Tickets to the Met Gala have been known to fetch as much as $50,000 for a single seat, with entire tables costing up to $300,000. Designers often purchase tickets for the celebrities they are styling for the event. The Met Gala has a long history, dating back to 1948, and has evolved into the star-studded event it is today with the help of former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland.
Viewers can tune in to a livestream of the Met Gala hosted by Vogue on the day of the event to catch all the red carpet action and see which celebrities have chosen to embrace the theme. While some celebrities may confirm their attendance prior to the event, others may keep their appearance a secret until they arrive on the red carpet, adding an element of surprise to the evening.
