The Met Gala is just around the corner, and celebrities around the globe are set to gather for fashion’s biggest night in the calendar.
Held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, this year’s theme for the Met Gala is Costume Art, with the event – as usual – being hosted by Anna Wintour.
While most of us only see the glamorous photos and viral moments that take place, you might not realise that there’s actually a set of strict rules when it comes to attending the Met.
From a very stringent seating plan to the staggering amount it costs to actually attend, there’s also restrictions around food and the age in which celebrities can attend.
Let’s get into it.
It’s invite-only
It might not surprise you to know that the prestigious event is invite-only and attendees must be over the age of 18.
Wintour is in charge of the guest list, and thanks to the strict rules, there’s definitely no sneaking in on the night.
Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala (Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)Attendees must pay for their ticket
Tickets certainly aren’t cheap, with this year’s ticket price coming in at a staggering $100,000, the New York Times reports.
Last year, the tickets were priced at $75,000, meaning just a small $25,000 increase from 2025…
The prices haven’t always been so high. When the event first began back in 1948 to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan, tickets were priced at $50.
You might be wondering if the celebrities fork out for a ticket, and the answer is no.
The celebrities are formally invited by brands and designers who invite the A-List guests to take a seat. However, they can make a personal donation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art if they wish.
Former Vogue editor Anna Wintour is in charge of the guest list (Theo Wargo/FilmMagic)The theme is mandatory
The theme is non-negotiable, which means celebrities cannot pick and choose whether to follow the theme or not.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of The Kardashians filmed in the run up to the Met, you’ll know that once the theme is announced, celebrities and designers spend months working on designs.
Everyone has an assigned seat
Seating arrangements are strictly maintained at the event, with Eaddy Kiernan – who is the woman tasked with organizing the Met Gala each year – explaining just how much work goes into the night’s seating arrangements.
“We start with a seating document when the names come together in December,” Kiernan previously told Vogue. “The actual seating chart doesn’t come together until about a month before the event, when we get a sense for the layout of the room, and the flow of the evening.”
Eaddy said that she and her team ‘really try to think very carefully’ about it.
“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,” she divulged. “So with each person, we really do take time to think, ‘What will they talk about?’”
Eaddy continued: “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.”
The guest list is carefully thought out every year (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)It’s a no-smoking event
Smoking is strictly not allowed at the Met Gala, but it seems not everyone received the memo in previous years.
In 2017, the likes of Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, and Marc Jacobs were pictured smoking in the bathrooms, with guests the following year reminded that it’s ‘illegal to smoke in the museum’.
Smoking indoors in New York City has been banned since 2003, and prior invitations to the event have reiterated this.
Kim Kardashian usually attends the Met (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)Phones and social media are banned
Phones are strictly banned at the Met, with Anna Wintour telling Today: “It’s often wonderful to hear, after dinner, people say, ‘Oh we had the most wonderful conversations.’ So that’s the idea, that life can exist without a picture on your cell phone.”
Certain foods are off the menu
There are certain foods that are banned from the event, and considering celebrities spend a lot of time chatting and taking photos, it makes a lot of sense.
According to the New York Post, things like parsley could be dangerous – if it gets stuck in anyone’s teeth before photos. Meanwhile, onion and garlic are also banned in order to prevent bad breath.