Here's Everything You Should Know About The Met Gala

The Met Gala is arguably the most star-studded event of the year. Hosted by Anna Wintour, the event is held on the first Monday of May each year (via Vogue) and attended by A-listers from industries including fashion, entertainment, politics, and business.

Dubbed "the party of the year" by The New York Times, the event is technically a fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. As of 2018, tickets cost a cool $30,000 per person and $275,000 for a table. However, the Times noted that not everyone is required to pay this entry fee. For example, brands can invite celebrities to sit at their tables and Wintour typically handpicks some new fashion designers and gives them complimentary tickets.

Even if you have $30,000 at your disposal, you can't simply purchase a ticket to the Met Gala and mingle with the stars. Per the Times, it's invitation only — so you need to be invited and then pay up. The outlet also notes that Wintour must approve every attendee.

The Met Gala, which began in 1971, has a fashion theme each year which serves as a kickoff to the Costume Institute's exhibition.

As reported by Grazia Daily, Fashion Plate was the theme of the inaugural Met Gala. Since then, themes have included Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design (1974), Costumes and Designs of the Ballets Russes (1978), The Eighteenth Century Woman (1981), Costumes of Royal India (1985), Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western Dress (1994), Cubism and Fashion (1998), Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years (2001), Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy (2008), Punk: Chaos to Couture (2013), and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018).

For the first time since 1971, there was no Met Gala in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. According to Cornucopia Events, the Met Gala will return this year on May 3, the first Monday of the month. "Each year the event has a theme and includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner," the description reads. "During the cocktail hour, guests arrive to walk on the red carpet, tour the year's special themed exhibition, and be seated before the dinner party that includes entertainment from the preeminent entertainers of the day. The theme not only sets the tone for the annual exhibit but also for the guests who attempt to uphold the theme of the year."

The theme for this year's Met Gala has not yet been announced to the public, but if history is any indicator the event will return in all it's glitzy, over-the-top glory. At least we can follow along from home, right?