Venue
1000 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York, United States
Met Gala guide
The Costume Institute's night on Fifth Avenue.
In short
The 2027 Met Gala is on Monday 3 May, opening John Galliano: Horizons at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gala is invitation-only, so visitors see arrivals only from across Fifth Avenue. The exhibition itself runs from 9 May 2027 to 9 January 2028, open with museum admission.
The Met Gala is the annual benefit for the Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, held on the first Monday in May on Fifth Avenue. It raises money for the department and marks the opening of its spring exhibition, and each year's dress code follows that exhibition's theme.
The 2027 gala is on Monday 3 May, celebrating John Galliano: Horizons, a survey of the designer's career across Dior, Givenchy, Maison Margiela and his own label. It is only the third time the Costume Institute has given a spring show to a living designer, after Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and Rei Kawakubo in 2017.
The gala itself is strictly by invitation, with the guest list overseen by Vogue. For everyone else, the real event is the exhibition, which opens to museum visitors the following weekend and runs for months. The steps on the night can be glimpsed only from a distance across Fifth Avenue.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: New York, United States
Venue: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Arts Festivals
Currency: US dollar ($ USD)
Time zone: Eastern Time, UTC−5; UTC−4 from March to November
Language: English; Spanish widely spoken
Map
Close to the venue
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art Attraction · 10 m
- Central Park, New York Attraction · 350 m
- Times Square Attraction · 3 km
- Empire State Building Attraction · 3.9 km
- The Plaza Hotel · 1.9 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Closures and crowds on Fifth Avenue
The Upper East Side changes for an evening.
- Expect closures on Fifth Avenue near 82nd Street and heavy security from the afternoon.
- Crowds gather behind barriers across the avenue; arrive early if you want a spot.
- Use the subway on Lexington Avenue; taxis will be diverted.
- Do not try to enter the cordon, which is enforced by police and private security.
Tips for visiting the Costume Institute exhibition
The opening weeks are the busiest.
- Go on a weekday morning soon after opening time.
- Check whether timed entry is required for the exhibition.
- Bags larger than the museum allows must be checked.
- Leave time for the permanent collection; admission covers the whole building.
What happens on the day
- Gala Monday, afternoon
Set-up
Barriers, the covered steps and press pens go up along Fifth Avenue.
- Gala Monday, early evening
Arrivals
Guests climb the steps; spectators watch from across the avenue.
- Following Saturday
Exhibition opens
The Costume Institute show opens to museum visitors.
- Until 9 January 2028
Exhibition run
Months to visit at a quieter time.
Visiting the exhibition rather than gala night
The exhibition is what a trip should be built around. With John Galliano: Horizons on view from 9 May 2027 to 9 January 2028, there is no need to be in New York on gala night unless you want the street atmosphere. Book a hotel early for early May, when the city is busy, and plan the museum visit for a weekday.
The Met sits on the edge of Central Park, so an afternoon can combine the galleries with a walk in the park. Our New York page covers the rest of the city.
How the Met Gala began in 1948
The benefit began in 1948 as a fundraising dinner organised by the publicist Eleanor Lambert for the Costume Institute. Diana Vreeland, as consultant to the institute from the 1970s, tied it to her spring exhibitions and widened the guest list beyond society circles.
Anna Wintour has chaired it since 1995, and under her the gala became the media event it is today, with a theme-led dress code and celebrity guests. Past exhibitions honouring living designers have been rare: Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and Rei Kawakubo in 2017, before Galliano in 2027.
Getting there
Flying in
JFK, Newark and LaGuardia all serve New York; allow an hour or more into Manhattan.
By subway
The 4, 5 and 6 trains stop at 86th Street on Lexington Avenue, a short walk west to the museum.
By bus
M1, M2, M3 and M4 buses run along Fifth and Madison Avenues past the museum.
Where to stay during the festival
The Upper East Side puts you within walking distance of the museum, though rooms there are expensive in May.
Midtown has the widest choice and quick subway links north to 86th Street.
Weather and what to pack
May in New York is mild. Central Park 1991-2020 normals give an average high of 21.9°C and a low of 12.8°C, with about 101 mm of rain over around 11 days.
Evenings can be cool, and a shower is likely on some days of any week.
Worth packing
- A light layer for the evening
- An umbrella
- Comfortable shoes for the galleries
- A small bag to avoid the cloakroom queue
Car hire in New York
Airport transfer to Met Gala
Met at arrivals at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and driven door to door to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) → The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 30 km · 35 min
Restaurants and food in United States
Places to eat in United States before or after the celebrations.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States
Cuisine:SeafoodAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Bar
Alinea
1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Cuisine:ModernistAmerican
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
Franklin Barbecue
900 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702, United States
Cuisine:Texas barbecueAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Cuisine:CreoleNew Orleans
- Dine-in
Katz's Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, United States
Cuisine:Jewish deliAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Counter seating
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Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Booking
No. Attendance is by invitation, and the guest list is approved by Vogue. Even guests seated through a brand's table need the organisers' approval, so there is no public route in.
Timing & weather
Monday 3 May 2027, keeping to the tradition of the first Monday in May.
John Galliano: Horizons is scheduled to be on view from 9 May 2027 to 9 January 2028. Entry is with standard museum admission.
The Met usually closes to the public on gala day while the building is prepared, so do not plan a visit for that Monday. Check the museum's hours before you go.
General
John Galliano: Horizons, the Costume Institute's spring 2027 exhibition on the designer's career. The dress code and co-chairs are usually announced some months after the theme.
It is planned in three sections, or movements: Bearings, Horizons and Atlas of Transformation.
Only from a distance. The steps and the Fifth Avenue frontage are fenced and covered for the press, and police barriers keep spectators back, typically across the avenue. Long lenses and patience help; close views do not happen.
Galliano was dismissed from Dior in 2011 after antisemitic remarks, and the choice of his work for the 2027 show has drawn criticism as well as praise.
Vogue streams the red carpet live, and coverage across fashion media runs into the next morning.
Prices & payment
Yes. The formal name is the Costume Institute Benefit; Met Gala is the name everyone uses.
