The Met Gala 2026, set for the first Monday in May, will embrace the theme 'Fashion is Art,' inviting guests to creatively express their relationship with fashion as an art form. Esteemed attendees, including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, will ascend the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcasing their artistic interpretations of the dress code. The event, which raises funds for the museum's Costume Institute, will be livestreamed by the Associated Press and Vogue, allowing fans to witness the glamorous arrivals starting at 4:30 p.m. PT. The dress code encourages guests to draw inspiration from historical fashion pieces and artistic collaborations, such as Elsa Schiaparelli's 1937 lobster dress designed with Salvador Dalí. This year's gala continues the tradition of exploring the relationship between fashion and art, a topic that has evolved significantly since the first fashion exhibit at the Met in 1983 faced criticism. The ongoing dialogue around fashion as an art form is underscored by the current exhibit, 'Costume Art,' which examines the significance of the dressed body.