It’s not a secret that The Met Gala is an expensive event. The highly-exclusive fashion fundraiser is an invitation-only with a secret guest list guarded by Anna Wintour until the day of the event.
Despite receiving an invitation, celebrities, tech entrepreneurs and business moguls who attend the event must all still pay for both their ticket and a reserved seat at a table for 10; not to mention their outfit too! However, the cost of the designs worn are often fronted by the brands themselves.
While publications like WWD, The New York Times and Page Six have reported on the ever-increasing price tag of the event over the years, it appears the price has continued to increase, despite rumours of the contrary amidst the involvement of billionaires like Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
This year, the dress code is ‘Fashion is Art’. Here’s a breakdown of the cost for the 2026 Met Gala.
How much is a ticket to The Met Gala?
In 2026, the New York Times reported that individual tickets to The Met Gala are a whopping US$100,000 (approx. AUD$140,000), which is US$25,000 (approx. AUD$35,000) more than the year before.
In 2025, an individual ticket to The Met Gala cost US$75,000 (approx. AUD$105,000), as confirmed by the Met to CBS News’ MoneyWatch, and this price was the same for the year before, after 2024 received a considerable jump in price.
How much to reserve a table at The Met Gala?
However, you’d be surprised to hear that this ticket price is still not enough to get you a seat at the table (literally). There is also a price for a full table at the event, and this price starts at US$350,000 (approx. AUD$489,000).
What’s the difference between an individual ticket and a table? Well, the individual ticket gets each celebrity through the door, while each table is purchased by major fashion houses or corporations, with the seating chart organised by Anna Wintour herself.
It’s safe to say being in the room where it happened isn’t cheap.
But who *actually* pays for a celebrity’s Met Gala attendance?
Now, the question that always comes up is if the celebrities that walk the red carpet actually pay for their attendance themselves. The short answer is, nope.
Since the guest list is invitation-only, celebrities are invited by fashion brands and designers on the instruction of Vogue (or Anna Wintour). Brands can pay for a table at the event and/or the individual tickets of the celebrities who they’d like wearing their brand. In addition to fronting these costs, the labels will also custom-make their looks (*sighs with envy*) in return for celebrities promoting the brand and their outfit’s design on the red carpet steps.
However, the celebrities can always make a personal donation to the museum too if they’re feeling generous. It is a fundraiser after all.
What is The Met Gala fundraising for?
Ever wondered what The Met Gala is actually fundraising for besides the overarching Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City? Let me enlighten you, as this year, things have changed.
Ever since the Met Gala was created in 1948, “fashion’s biggest night out” has fundraised for The Costume Institute (previously known as the Museum of Costume Art) at the Met. When the Museum of Costume Art joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1946, it became known as The Costume Institute in 1959 following the merger. The catch of this deal was that the Costume Institute had to fund it’s own exhibitions. Enter: The Met Gala.
This year, the Met Gala won’t just be fundraising for the Costume Institute’s yearly budget, but will also be celebrating the Condé M. Nast Galleries – the Costume Institute’s new home. Replacing what used to be the museums gift shop, the new fashion galleries will be the first thing visitor’s can experience when they enter the Great Hall.
To put things in perspective, The Met Gala raised US$31 million in 2025 and the New York City’s Ballet’s spring gala raised US$2.7 million. Safe to say that yearly budget is in safe hands.
This year, the exhibition will be centred on ‘Costume Art’ and will feature depictions of the dressed body from the Met’s curatorial departments, pairing garments with art objects spanning 5,000 years ago. The show is said to show objects with a range of body types – everything from the ‘Naked Body’ and ‘Classical Body’ to the ‘Pregnant Body’ and the ‘Aging Body’ – that have been overlooked in the past.
How to watch The Met Gala in Australia?
The Met Gala isn’t broadcasted live on traditional TV but you can watch it live in Australia on Vogue’s livestream via their website, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, or via E! coverage.
Live From E!: The Met Gala” airs on 7Bravo and streams on 7plus.
Updates on the fundraiser are also provided by Vogue’s editorial team on the ground.
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