What happens inside the Met Gala? (2024)

WE ALL KNOW what goes down at the Met Gala red carpet. We’re somewhat aware of the frivolity at the after parties. And we often learn the celeb beauty tricks behind-the-scenes. But when it comes to the very event itself, the Met Gala —fashion’s biggest night is also famously fashion’s biggest secret, mostly for one reason particular reason: There’s a near-total phone ban and no reporters present.

That’s not to say fashion rules haven’t been broken in the past with a few cheeky bathroom selfies … or even at the table, like some guests did during dinner last year. With Met speculation at an all-time high, we divulge the insider details on what really goes on behind closed museum doors on the first Monday of May.

How much does it cost to go the Met Gala?

It’s certainly a celebrity-approved cost for exclusive guests. Since 1995, US Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has dictated the glitzy Met Gala guest-list. Recently, there were rumours of her being disinterested in inviting the Kardashian-Jenner clan (evidently, disproven following Kim, Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s 2023 Met Gala appearance) —as well as a reported ban in place for designer Rachel Zoe and Project Runway host Tim Gunn following respective feuds with Wintour.

“I’ve known of society names who couldn’t get a ticket and are prepped to go if there’s a last-minute seat that becomes available,” Cameron Silver, a previous Met attendee, told Page Six.

“They have their look ready even if they aren’t certain of whether they will actually have a seat days before the event.”

Those famous and friendly enough with Wintour to receive an invite are part of a lavish dinner table, with individual tickets this year around $50,000 (AUD $74,963) and whole tables beginning at $300,000 (AUD $449,781), according to The New York Times. Notably, celebrity attendees generally don’t pay for their own ticket, with entry costs and costumes financed by the major fashion houses who dress and invite them. All the money from Met Gala tickets are then donated to the Costume Institute, as a self-funded department of the museum.

What happens at the Met Gala following the red carpet?

After celebs pose, pout and sometimes dramatically change outfits on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art —they head inside for the main event. According to The New York Times’ journalist Vanessa Friedman, the Met Gala begins with a formal meet-and-greet with the hosts — in 2024, that’s Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth.

Guests are then said to make their way through the annual exhibition, which also includes a co*cktail hour. The theme this year is ‘The Garden of Time’, with the exhibition itself titled ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ — read more about exactly what it all means here.

A former Met Gala dinner server, Mike Hartman, told Insider celebrities “move between rooms of the Metropolitan Museum throughout the event.” Celebs are not only given a first look at the exhibition — which opens to the public the day after the Met Gala — but they’re also able to “stop and look around the museum”and mingle with famous friends.

“There are escorts guiding them along, but they’re allowed to take their time,” Hartman shared.

Do Met Gala guests get changed at the event?

Despite multiple fittings, dress rehearsals and early morning glam sessions; some attendees only wear their Met Gala outfit on the carpeted Met steps. This year, co-chair and host Zendaya was one such guest, wearing not one but two looks on the steps, before changing into a third look inside the Gala.

According to former Met Gala dinner server, Mike Hartman, some celebrities had “personal rooms to themselves” in 2018, in order for them to “change or do fix-ups.” That year, Amal Clooney changed her outfit half-way through the event as she was worried the tin foil on her Richard Quinn gown would rip — and Anna Wintour told Stephen Colbert she did so in the museum gift shop.

Other guests like Madonna had their own greenroom as special guests of the Gala. “Madonna wasn’t at the dinner because she was a surprise guest of the gala, and no one knew until she was revealed after the dinner, so she had her own greenroom,” Hartman told Insider. “So did Vogue and some other celebrities.”

Are couples allowed to sit together at the Met Gala?

Not only are guests unable to request a plus one for their significant other (they must also be individually invited by Anna Wintour), but couples generally aren’t allowed to sit next to each other. Much like the guest-list, Wintour is completely across the seating plan —which takes up to six months to organise and goes through dozens of drafts. Seating is also strictly confidential, with guests likely discovering their table when they enter the Petrie Court of the museum (where the dinner is held).

As the late great former Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley revealed during the 2016 documentary The First Monday in May: “Anna is meticulously vetting every single thing, from the napkins to the forks to the lighting.” He continued: “The detail of the flowers, the detail of the ushers, how they’re dressed, everything has been vetted for months and weeks and months and weeks.”

On couples, Sylvana Ward Durrett also shared during the Met Gala doco: “Never seat spouses next to each other. The whole point of these things is to meet new people and to be interested in what others are doing. What’s the point if you come here to hang out with your husband?”

In 2021, party planner Eaddy Kiernan offered a little more insight about the meticulous seating plan to Vogue, revealing they consider every possible worst social interaction to ensure convivial and inspiring atmosphere.

“We really try to think very carefully about who’s sitting next to each other. 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 realise 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.”

What food is served at the Met Gala?

Dishes vary every year depending on Met Gala theme and particular caterer at the helm. Unsurprisingly, Anna Wintour also acts as epicurean surveyor —with a certain few foods banned altogether. According to the New York Post, onion, garlic and parsley are prohibited due to bad breath. Fair enough. Bruschetta is also off the menu in case it spills onto a guest’s outfit. Makes sense. Guests are only allowed an hour to eat the food —to enable celebs to change for the after parties —with meals sometimes served directly onto their plates.

“It was really, really nerve-wracking because we all individually had to hand-serve each item from the menu onto the plates of the guests, along with the sauces, all with one hand over the back of a throne chair with guests wearing custom-made, highly-expensive, one-of-a-kind garments,” Hartman said.

Is there entertainment at the Met Gala?

Each year, the Met Gala requests world-renowned singers to get the party started. Previous legendary live performers include Rihanna, Kacey Musgraves and Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, The Weeknd and Nas, Florence and the Machine, Lady Gaga and more. A former Vogue staff previously told Bustle that the “high energy is palpable” as “the performances always have every guest up from their tables and dancing.”

There’s no word yet on who this year’s performer is, though in 2023, it was none other than Lizzo.

Are there any other Met Gala rules?

Other than the phone ban (which is largely to do with staying present and connecting with others), smoking was also banned following the 2017 Met Gala. After numerous celebrities shared photos of themselves smoking in the bathroom, guests are now required to use the designated smoking area. That rule didn’t stop Doja Cat in 2023, who was spotted vaping on the carpet nearby the Vogue livestream.

Since 2018, those under 18 years old are also unable to attend the event. At the time, a Met Gala spokesperson explained the decision, saying: “It’s not an appropriate event for people under 18.”