Met Gala 2024: How to watch and what else you need to know

Met Gala 2024: How to watch and what else you need to know

Artificial intelligence, projections and soundscapes aren’t exactly the words that come to mind when you think of fashion. But that’s exactly what’s on the menu for the 2024 Met Gala, one of the biggest fashion events of the year that plans to “reawaken” fashion by injecting lifeless pieces with, um, techy stuff.

The Met Gala — or, as the official title goes, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit — is a black-tie event held annually as a way to raise money for the Costume Institute, the museum’s collection of fashion objects. Each Met Gala has a theme that honors a style, designer or look. And this year, the Met Gala’s theme will try to bring new life into dormant pieces of fashion through technology.

Overseen by Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, the event is basically a who’s-who party where A-list actors, stylish musicians, and a mix of political and fashion arbiters gather to dress nice, snap a few photos and … just be — in posh dresses or sparkly get-ups, of course.

Because it’s impossible to snag a ticket on your own, the best anyone outside of fashion’s inner circle can do is catch a live stream online, scroll through live blogs and like some Instagram pics of their favorite celebrities.

To get you started on all things 2024 Met Gala, The Washington Post has fashioned an explainer for you.

When is the Met Gala?

The Met Gala takes place annually on the first Monday of May. For 2024, that means Monday, May 6.

Celebrities tend to reach the red carpet between 6 and 6:30 p.m. The event usually wraps up around 8 p.m., though anyone willing to stick around for the credits might spot a Rihanna appearance (and many say that’s worth the wait).

How can you watch the 2024 Met Gala?

E! will provide red carpet coverage beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern on TV. A live stream of the red carpet will be available on NBC’s streaming platforms, including Peacock. Vogue will also live-stream the event. More importantly, you can follow The Post’s live blog for updates.

What is the theme this year?

“Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” Or, as the Met explained, the new theme “will explore notions of rebirth and renewal, using nature as a metaphor for the impermanence of fashion.”

Andrew Bolton, curator in charge of the Met’s Anna Wintour Costume Center, explained at a news conference in November that the 2024 theme will mix technology with typically lifeless fashion pieces to stimulate the senses.

As Max Hollein, CEO and director of the Met, said in a statement: “Sleeping Beauties will heighten our engagement with these masterpieces of fashion by evoking how they feel, move, sound, smell and interact when being worn, ultimately offering a deeper appreciation of the integrity, beauty and artistic brilliance of the works on display.”

Who is hosting this year?

The 2024 event has an all-star lineup of celebs, including Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya, who will co-chair with Wintour.

Who is going to the Met Gala?

You can probably plan on some usual favorites to stop by: Lady Gaga, Emma Stone, Blake Lively, Lil Nas X, Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian, to name a few. Rihanna already teased a simple outfit for this year’s event. Political figures show up, too. New York Mayor Eric Adams (D), former presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have attended in past years.

Jared Leto, who often grabs headlines for his stunning outfits, told E! that he won’t be attending this year over what seems to be a scheduling conflict.

It appears that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have declined invites. It’s also unclear whether Kendrick Lamar, who walked the red carpet in 2023 wearing Chanel, will make an appearance amid his ongoing rap war of words with Drake.

There has also speculation that Sean “Diddy” Combs, who often attends the Met Gala, has been denied an invite as he faces multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, vindictive and violent behavior, and sex trafficking. The Met did not respond to questions about whether Diddy has been offered an invite.

Can you get a ticket?

You can’t, unless you’ve got super-celeb status. It’s invite-only. Brands (fashion or otherwise) and wealthy people buy all the tables and tickets. Wintour will then “match” celebrities to sit with that brand.

The cost for an individual ticket is believed to be around $50,000, per the Associated Press. An entire table would supposedly drain your bank account by about $300,000.

But what happens inside the Met Gala?

We’re not exactly sure, because it’s an invitation-only event and press is not allowed in, but there have been clues. In 2021, Kendall Jenner offered a behind-the-curtain sneak peek at what goes on. (She showed a dinner and an exhibit tour.) Other signs point to a high-profile artist, such as Rihanna or Madonna, performing live.

How do celebrities decide what to wear?

Stars who walk the Met Gala’s red carpet often wear outfits designed by brands with whom they’re attending the event. The ensembles are also inspired by the theme of the night. At last year’s gala, which honored the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, Olivia Wilde sported a white remake of a 1983 Lagerfeld design for Chloé, a dress that Lagerfeld originally designed in black.

Sometimes these outfits can get a little eccentric. For the 2019 “Camp” theme, Leto carried a copy of his own head (yes, his own head) thanks to Gucci.

This year, the dress code is “The Garden of Time,” which is inspired by a short story from J.G. Ballard about two good-looking people who worry about approaching technological and societal advancements from their beautiful villa. Vogue predicts that there will be floral and botanical outfits.

Who is sponsoring?

Spanish luxury fashion brand Loewe and the social media platform TikTok are sponsors for the 2024 event. So expect to see several celebrities wearing Loewe, such as Ayo Edebiri, Greta Gerwig and the “Challengers” cast, among others.

The TikTok sponsorship will surely raise some eyebrows, because President Biden recently signed a bill into law that could ban TikTok if its parent company doesn’t sell the platform in about nine months. Shou Zi Chew, the chief executive of TikTok, is an honorary chair for the Met Gala. It’s unclear whether he’ll show up to the event, but all eyes will be watching to see whether he arrives and what he might say.

What happened at the 2023 Met Gala?

Last year, guests delivered memorable tributes to Lagerfeld, the controversial late German designer who transformed Chanel into a modern brand beginning in the ’80s. Florence Pugh, Rihanna, Doja Cat and Leto were among the standouts on the red carpet.

Some other memorable moments included Lil Nas X dressing like a Guardians of the Galaxy character. Then there was the whole incident involving a flying cockroach that eventually ended up walking on the red carpet. Yuck, but also, totally New York.

But the entire night, people waited to see Rihanna. She showed up hours after the thick of the show had wrapped, dressed in a white sculptural flower outfit that, upon first glance, resembled a cloud. She walked down the red carpet alongside her partner, A$AP Rocky.