The Ultimate Red Carpet Event: All About the 2023 Met Gala

Find out about this year's theme, cost, guest list and more.

The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour to support the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Each year approximately 600 high-powered people, most of whom are celebrities, are invited to walk the event's red carpet to bring awareness (and funds) to the Costume Institute.

The event is one of the most exclusive gatherings of the year—and an opportunity for fashion enthusiasts to enjoy or decry the looks that celebrities and their designers come up with.

Here is everything we know about the 2023 Met Gala.

What is the Met Gala?

The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The event is themed each year, and celebrities and designers collaborate to create stunning and sometimes over-the-top ensembles that (hopefully) hit the right mark.

What is the Met Gala a fundraiser for?

The event raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The JD School of Design has noted that the Met Gala is the most important source of funds for the museum.

Where is the Met Gala held?

The Met Gala takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Who runs the Met Gala?

Fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert established the Met Gala in 1948 as a way to raise money for the then-new Costume Institute, and former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland turned the event into a cultural force when she took over the reins in 1972. But long-time Vogue editor Anna Wintour is considered the true architect of the Met Gala as we know it today. She's had near total control over the gala since 1999.

When is the Met Gala 2023?

With the exception of the 2021 Met Gala, which was rescheduled due to COVID-19, the event is always held on the first Monday in May. The 2023 Met Gala will be held on May 1, 2023.

What time is the Met Gala red carpet?

Guests are allotted slots, starting at 5:30 p.m. and going until around 8 p.m. But the biggest celebrities (ahem, Beyoncé) are known to show up as late as 9:30. They don't call it "fashionably late" for nothing!

What is the Met Gala 2023 theme?

This year's theme pays homage to designer Karl Lagerfeld. As announced by musician and new LVMH creative director Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour on Sept. 30, 2022, the official theme is "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty."

NET-A-PORTER explains that the theme will "trace the designer’s evolution from winning the Woolmark Prize in 1954, to being hired as an assistant to Pierre Balmain, and revisits his prolific career at Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, Balmain, Patou, and his own eponymous brand, until his death in 2019."

What happens at the Met Gala?

Most of us know all about the red carpet before the Met Gala, when celebrities parade up toward the main event and dazzle (or sometimes disappoint) us with their looks. But what actually happens at the event itself isn't well known, and that's on purpose.

As Vogue explains, the Met Gala is a phone-free event. The outlet writes, "In short: It’s a secret. For this reason, guests must abide by the no phone (and therefore, no social media) policy."

What is known is that celebrities and attendees are treated to a meal once they get inside, and they also have the opportunity to check out the year's exhibits. There is typically a performer each year, and the event often wraps up fairly early in the night so that guests can check out various after-parties.

Related: The Best Memes from the 2022 Met Gala

Party planner Eddie Kiernan told Vogue that seating the guests is always an interesting experience. "We really try to think very carefully about who’s sitting next to each other," he said.

"Our ideal pairing would maybe be two people who we think will just get on like a house on fire but who may not even realize that they have a lot in common. So with each person, we really do take time to think, ‘What will they talk about?’ We try and think a lot about sight lines and where people have sat in the past. And we try to make sure someone isn’t staring into the eyes of a former flame."

Who gets invited to the Met Gala?

The Met Gala is an invitation-only event. Approximately 600 people make it onto  Wintour's final guest list, which is a who's who of names in fashion, film, tech and politics.

How much is a Met Gala ticket?

Thanks to inflation, the always astronomically priced tickets are even more expensive than usual, going for $50,000 a pop compared with $30,000 in recent years. (Tables start at $300,000.)

According to Page Six, some folks are opting out of the event due to the sky-high ticket cost. “These people are already donating so much, to then ask for that amount is a lot,” a source told the outlet.

But another tipster said that "for every person that decides not to go, 20 people will line up behind them and beg to come.” Sounds about right.

Who is banned from the Met Gala?

Being a celebrity isn't enough to get you into the Met Gala. In fact, there are a handful of celebrities who are rumored to have been banned due to disparaging comments they've made about the event. 

According to Elle Australia, this list includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Zayn Malik, Demi Lovato, Amy Schumer, Tina Fey and Rachel Zoe. Each of these celebrities have attended the event in the past and reportedly had a terrible time.

For example, Fey told David Letterman in 2015, "I have gone to it once and it is such a jerk parade. Clearly, I'll never go again, but you go and it's this beautiful space and it's just every jerk from every walk of life is there wearing some stupid thing."

The only high-profile name Wintour has ever publicly admitted to banning is Donald Trump. She said as much in an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden.

Are the Kardashians banned from the Met Gala 2023?

In March 2023 a number of outlets reported that the Kardashian family might not be invited to the Met Gala. The rumor has not been officially confirmed or denied, but many have speculated about what this might mean if it's true.

The Guardian hints that part of the reason might be Kim Kardashian's choice to wear Marilyn Monroe's iconic gown as a bid at "stunt dressing" at the 2022 Met Gala. But on April 4, 2023, an insider told Page Six and The Sun that she is invited after all.

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The source said, "Anna had wanted to do a cull of the guest list this year and make it more of an exclusive event. And while lots of names were discussed, attendees have always been an ongoing conversation and nothing was ever set in stone. Kim was never told she might not be on the list. While invites have now officially been sent out and Kim has been confirmed, the news leak about her possibly not getting an invite did see tensions run high behind the scenes in what has been a big misunderstanding."

Who will be at the Met Gala 2023?

The entire guest list for the Met Gala is never revealed, but we do know who some invitees are in 2023. Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz and Roger Federer will co-chair the event together, for example, so they will certainly be in attendance.

And the May 2023 issue of Vogue features Anok Yai, Shalom Harlow, Kendall Jenner, Liu Wen, Adut Akech, Natalia Vodianova, Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta, Gigi Hadid and Devon Aoki, so it's likely they will be on the carpet, too. Only time—and Anna Wintour—will tell!

Next, Best Looks From the Met Gala 2022