The first Monday in May is upon us, which means the 2026 Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night of the year, is too. The coveted event sees flocks of celebrities gather at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in fancy outfits, eat dinner, and definitely don’t break the rules and take selfies in the bathroom.
Getting on the Met Gala guest list is extremely coveted for obvious reasons, including but not limited to the fact that you get to wear a designer gown/weird fencing mask if you’re Katy Perry. Ahem:
But the Met Gala doesn’t come cheap! Tickets are extremely expensive, and prices go up every year. Here’s who’s footing the bill (hint: not the celebs).
First Up, Can the General Public Buy Tickets to the Met Gala?
Well, no. The Met Gala is an invitation-only event, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is in charge of the guest list…like, to the point where even if a designer/brand spends the money to buy an entire table, Anna still dictates the people it gets to invite.
How Much Do Met Gala Tickets Cost?
In 2026, tickets reportedly started at $100,000 a pop (which is a $25,000 increase from just last year)—and if you wanted to buy an entire table, it set you back $350,000. But a ton of perks come with a ticket, like an early look at the museum exhibit, cocktails, dinner, and access to the most exclusive party of the year.
Oh, and btw: 2023 Met Gala tickets were more expensive than ever before, which allegedly caused some regular museum donors to opt out. “These people are already donating so much. To then ask for that amount is a lot,” one source told Page Six in April 2023, while another countered with, “For every person that decides not to go, 20 people will line up behind them and beg to come. Will Anna want those people? Maybe, maybe not.”
Do Celebrities Pay for Met Gala Tickets?
I mean, it has happened before. Back in 2012, Page Six reported (although the story has since been removed…) that Kate Upton dropped $25,000 to attend the Met Gala and allegedly wrote Anna a check while meeting with her at the Vogue offices.
Typically, though, designers or brands will buy out an entire table and invite celebs as their guests—whom Anna has to approve, of course!
’Kay, but Who Pays for the Clothes?
Celebs work directly with designers to create their looks (or pull from archives), so nope: No one is forking over a buncha money for couture. They’re fully just out here wearing it for free!
Does Everyone Get to Walk the Carpet?
Whether you’re a celebrity or a rich donor, anyone with a ticket to the Met Gala gets to walk the red carpet…which can apparently be somewhat awkward next to all the A-listers doing their thing.
“Everyone walks the red carpet,” attendee Cameron Silver told Page Six in 2017, “but less well-known guests hear crickets because no one is paying attention. It is one of the most demeaning things to walk those stairs as a non-celebrity. I’ve seen so many people run up those stairs and they look amazing, but they’re not recognizable [enough for the paparazzi to care]. It’s very bruising on the ego.”
On that note, excuse me while I change into sweats and get ready to judge everyone’s looks from my couch while surrounded by pizza.
