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Met Gala Tickets, Which Are Invite-only, Cost $75,000. Here's What That Gets Attendees.
2023 Met Gala co-Chair Penélope Cruz arrives at the Met.
Gilbert Carrasquillo/Contributor/GC Images
- The Met Gala is notoriously exclusive.
- In 2024, individual tickets cost $75,000, while entire tables cost $350,000.
- Guests are treated to a cocktail hour, dinner, and exclusive performances.
One of the most intriguing qualities of the Met Gala is its exclusivity.
Each year, the guest list is approved by Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, but attendance isn't based solely on an invitation — there's also a hefty entry fee.
Time reported that individual tickets for 2024's Met Gala, which is a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, cost $75,000, up from $50,000 in 2023. Tables start at $350,000.
Tables are usually purchased by design houses, brands, or companies, which then choose who they'd like to invite to the table, which requires approval from Wintour, too.
So, while only a select group of elite individuals experience the grandeur of the Met Gala, the rest of us are left to wonder what that actually entails.
Of course, there's the famed red carpet and the over-the-top fashion, but here's a peek inside the Met's walls to see the cocktails, menus, exhibits, and exclusive performances attendees get to witness.
A ticket grants you the most important thing of all: access.![]()
A view of the interior of the 2019 Met Gala.
Kevin Tachman/MG19/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
There once was a time when even Kim Kardashian couldn't get an invite to the Met Gala.
Amy Odell, author of "Anna: The Biography," told Time in 2024 that an invitation is a "really huge signifier that you are 'in.'"
Vogue contributing editor and Met Gala organizer Eaddy Kiernan told Vogue in 2024 that the seating chart starts being prepped in December but ultimately comes together a month before the event.
"We really try to think very carefully about who's sitting next to each other," Kiernan said. "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?'" she added.
Such access and quality seating have the potential to yield incredible business outcomes.
With access secured, attendees first walk the red carpet in outfits meticulously planned according to the dress code and theme.![]()
Blake Lively at the 2018 Met Gala.
Dia Dipasupil/Staff/WireImage
Here's Blake Lively at the 2018 Met Gala, which was themed "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."
Once inside, they mingle during cocktail hour.![]()
Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, Sabrina Dhowre, and Idris Elba at the 2019 Met Gala.
Kevin Tachman/MG19/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Guests of the 2019 Met Gala could enjoy "crispy sea bass hors d'oeuvres, bits of foie gras, or mini-BLT towers," the Associated Press reported.
And, of course, it wouldn't be cocktail hour without the drinks.![]()
Cocktails served during the 2023 Met Gala.
Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Here's a tray of one of the signature cocktails served at 2023's Gala.
Guests also have the opportunity to view the Met's exhibit during cocktail hour.![]()
Guests of the 2021 Met Gala look at the exhibit.
Cindy Ord/MG21/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Pictured, guests viewed part of 2021's exhibit, "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art reported that this exhibit included about 100 men's and women's ensembles from the 1940s to the present, each displayed in cases representing three-dimensional quilt patches. The exhibit was organized into 12 sections, exploring emotions like joy, wonder, desire, and nostalgia.
After cocktail hour, guests take their seats for a formal dinner.![]()
A behind-the-scenes view of the tablescape at the 2023 Met Gala.
Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
In accordance with 2023's theme, "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," the tablescape was inspired by the wedding reception he hosted for Paloma Picasso in 1978.
Vogue reported the tables included "French linen napkins, varnished hand-painted candelabras, and bouquets with Red Command and Coral Charm peonies."
Like the decor, the evening's menu was also created with Lagerfeld in mind. It included "chilled spring pea soup with baby vegetables, lemon crème fraîche, and truffle snow, followed by Ōra King salmon with vegetable nage, asparagus, picked strawberries, and radish."
2023 Met Gala caterer Olivier Cheng told the publication, "There is a sophisticated elegance to these pairings, one we feel that he would have truly enjoyed."
And to drink, guests were offered wine and, surprisingly, Diet Coke, a favorite of Lagerfeld's.
The menu in 2018 included cacio e pepe pasta, baby lamb chops, lobster, and branzino.![]()
Rihanna and another guest at the 2018 Met Gala.
Kevin Tachman/Contributor/Getty Images for Vogue
Dessert included gold-dusted truffles, chocolate-dipped cape gooseberries, and an amaretto Semifreddo cone topped with a gold pearl, Vogue reported.
Surprise performances are also a key feature of the night.![]()
Justin Bieber performing at the 2021 Met Gala.
Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Bieber's denim-on-denim outfit is giving more Canadian tuxedo than "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion," but we'd still love to know how the room reacted to his performance.
The tradition of Met Gala performances started in 2010 with Lady Gaga singing "Bad Romance" as part of the year's "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity" exhibit.
Other notable performances include Frank Ocean's "Super Rich Kids" in 2014 and Madonna's "Like a Prayer" in 2018, per The Cut.
Lizzo was the latest Met Gala performer.![]()
Lizzo performing on a table at the 2023 Met Gala.
Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images
Vogue reported that she performed songs like "Juice," "About Damn Time," and "Cuz I Love You." She also played the flute alongside Sir James Galway for a duet of "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Don't worry, attendees still have plenty of time to party.![]()
Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and Doja Cat pose inside the 2023 Met Gala.
Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Here are rappers Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and Doja Cat striking a pose in 2023.
For those who can't get enough of the fun, there's also an annual after-party.![]()
Tina Leung arrives at the 13th Annual Met Gala After Party in 2023.
Lexie Moreland/Contributor/WWD via Getty Images
The Met Gala started hosting its annual after-party in 2010.
Celebrities often change into different looks before hitting another round of red carpets and events.
2023's after-party was hosted by Janelle Monáe.
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