Whether you’re a fashion aficionado or simply tune in for the inevitable memes of the year, the annual extravaganza that is the Met Gala *almost* never disappoints.
There are a few simple things you’re probably already across when it comes to the Met: there’s a red carpet, nearly every A-list celebrity attends, and the annual event is hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Now, aside from that, Vogue’s “no phones” rule makes it kinda hard to know exactly what goes down inside the fashionable fundraiser, with the exception of a few sneaky mirror selfies over the years. But rest assured, we’ve crafted a tell-all gala guide to the iconic evening, detailing everything that goes on beyond the red carpet curtains.
So, if ever you’ve found yourself wondering, ‘What really happens inside the Met Gala?’ This one’s for you.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 Met Gala
The Red Carpet And MET Steps
You probably get the gist with this one. Arrivals on the red carpet are pretty much the pièce de résistance of the Met Gala evening for those of us watching on from the comfort of our couches.
When it comes to who steps out in style, every A-list recording artist, actor, athlete, activist, you name it, is usually in donning your favourite designers on the carpet — only in this case, the “A” in A-list stands for Anna.
If you didn’t already know, Anna Wintour is the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, and is in charge of curating the upper-class guest list and has final say over which stars will receive a coveted invitation to the annual soiree.
The Cocktail Hour
Once red carpet arrivals conclude, the festivities begin! Designers, celebs and guests all gather and mingle for cocktail hour, where they are welcome to tour the museum’s exhibition that correlates to the theme of the given year. The 2025 Met Gala theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” so we’re expecting to see some pretty swanky suits and gowns on display.
This is also about the time when we start to see some selfie leaks from inside the event. Below, we’ve linked some memorable moments from previous Met Galas:
The Dinner
Then comes the formal dinner. After carefully curating the seating chart (we wouldn’t want that job,) the celebs regather for a sit down meal inside the museum walls.
Eaddy Kiernan, the man behind the planning of the stylish spectacle, told Vogue in 2021 that when assigning stars to their seats, “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 realize 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.”
The Entertainment
Every year, one or more musical artists dazzle with an exclusive performance for Met Gala attendees eyes only — sort of like a miniature concert. Last year saw Ariana Grande perform, closing out the evening with her Wicked costar, Cynthia Erivo, singing a duet of “When You Believe.:
After the entertainment, celebs typically mingle a bit more, than make their way back to their hotels for a quick outfit change, and head on out to the after-parties.
The After Party
Okay, so this stage isn’t actually a part of the Met Gala, but it’s a pretty epic moment of the evening, so we included it anyway.
Once the museum curtain closes on the biggest night in fashion, we later see many of the stars stepping out onto the streets of NYC in daring designer looks for a late night of drinks, dancing and copious amounts of drama — a stellar combination if ever we’ve seen one.
