What’s the theme, how to watch and how much does a ticket cost?

Culture reporter

The biggest names in entertainment are gearing up to celebrate menswear and black style at Monday’s Met Gala, the fashion industry’s biggest night of the year.

Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton are among the co-chairs for this year’s event, which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

The annual gala, which takes place in new York City, is usually attended by huge names from the world of film, fashion and music.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Met Gala 2025.

The Met Gala’s theme is usually connected to the Costume Institute’s latest exhibition, which this year is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.

It’s inspired by Monica L Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, published in 2009.

This year’s Met Gala dress code is “Tailored for You” – a reference to the suiting and menswear which features in the exhibition.

In fact, this is the first Met Gala in more than two decades to focus exclusively on menswear.

“The theme this year is not only timely,” said Gala committee member Usher, “but also speaks to our rich culture that should always be widely celebrated.”

Expect lots of references from both the male and female guests to the role black style has played over the centuries, particularly in menswear.

The Met says the show “presents a cultural and historical examination of black style from the 18th Century to today, through the lens of dandyism”.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who oversees the gala every year, is joined for 2025 by co-chairs Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky and LeBron James.

Black talent is also being celebrated with the event’s host committee, which includes athlete Simone Bilesfilm director Spike Leeactress Available Ayopop stars Deeachi, Usher, Tyla, Janell Monáe. and André 3000author Chimamanda Leather Add and playwright Jeremy O Harris.

The Met Gala always takes place on The First Monday in May – to use the title of the 2016 documentary about the event.

This year, that means it takes place on Monday, 5 Maywith guests arriving from about 18:00 East (23:00 BST).

It might be a bank holiday in the UK, but for the designers, publicists and PAs, it’ll be an extraordinarily busy day as they preen and prepare their stars to walk the grand staircase.

Although the public never gets to see inside the event itself, where the guests are treated to dinner, cocktails, live music and a look around the costume institute’s new exhibition, the lengthy red carpet event beforehand ensures acres of media coverage.

The guest list isn’t published in advance, but you can safely expect to see a huge number of A-listers on the night.

Unless you’re a New York resident planning to stand behind the barriers across the road from the museum, your best bet is probably to watch it online.

Vogue will be running a live stream of the event across their digital platforms, including YouTube.

US viewers will be able to watch on Peacock and E! Online, while countless news outlets will be live streaming their own coverage on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

You can also follow the live blog here on the BBC News website.

But to be honest, photos and videos from the night will be inescapable when you open your social media feeds on Tuesday morning, so if you’re in the UK and going to bed, you shouldn’t have to look too far for coverage when you wake up.

No, sorry hun.

The Met Gala is an exclusive event, only open to a small number of invited guests – usually around 450.

Often, the biggest brands will buy a table, and use it to host their desired celebrities. The label benefits if the celebrity is associated with them and wears one of their outfits on the red carpet.

The proceeds from ticket sales go to the costume institute. It’s understood an individual ticket goes for around $75,000 (£56,000), while a 10-seat table starts at $350,000.

But at least the A-listers don’t have to deal with dynamic pricing.

Look back on previous Met Galas: