What Time Does the Met Gala Start in the UK — and Where Is It Held in 2026?

What Time Does the Met Gala Start in the UK?

The Met Gala 2026 takes place tonight — Monday 4 May — at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The theme this year is Fashion Is Art, tied to the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition Costume Art, which runs from 10 May 2026 to 10 January 2027.

For UK viewers, the official red carpet livestream begins at 11:00 PM BST tonight. Arrivals start from 10:30 PM BST, with the biggest names typically appearing later into the evening.

Where is the Met Gala held?

The Met Gala is held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where it serves as a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute. Last year, the event raised a record $31 million — before the exhibition had even opened.

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What is the Met Gala 2026 theme?

The 2026 dress code is Fashion Is Art — guests are invited to express their own relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate the countless depictions of the dressed body throughout art history.

It is a deliberately open brief, which means anything from sculptural couture to archival archive pieces pulled from fashion house vaults. Expect range. Expect drama. Expect at least one look that will be talked about for years.

Who are the Met Gala 2026 co-chairs?

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour are this year’s co-chairs. Beyoncé’s return is the biggest news — she hasn’t attended since 2016, making her one of the most anticipated arrivals of the night. Parade

The host committee is co-chaired by Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello and actress Zoë Kravitz. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos serve as honorary chairs.

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How to watch the Met Gala 2026 in the UK

The official Met Gala livestream is available from 6 PM ET on Vogue’s website, YouTube and TikTok. That’s 11 PM BST for UK viewers.

Cara Delevingne, model Ashley Graham and TV personality La La Anthony serve as Vogue’s official red carpet hosts, with Emma Chamberlain returning as special red carpet correspondent for her sixth year.

Why does the Met Gala happen?

The Met Gala is more than a red carpet event. It is a vital fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, held every first Monday in May to mark the opening of the Institute’s spring exhibition. Under Anna Wintour’s stewardship since 1995, it has become the most significant fashion event in the global calendar — blending craft, culture, and philanthropy in a way that nothing else quite manages.

Come back to CSC tomorrow morning for our full best and worst dressed verdict — the honest one.

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