The Met Gala is fashion’s most glamorous night of nights and it is almost here!
We are poised to see which stars steal the spotlight this year, but behind the extravagant outfits and A-list guest list lies a surprisingly rigid rulebook.
Break the rules, and you could find yourself banned from one of the most exclusive events on the planet.
Here’s what every guest has to follow on the first Monday of May.
Can anyone go to the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is strictly invitation-only, with every single guest personally approved by Vogue‘s former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
And an appearance one year is absolutely no guarantee of a return, either.
Interestingly, when it comes to tickets, it’s the designers, not celebrities, who typically foot the bill.
Last year, a single ticket cost around $75,000. This year, that’s jumped to $100,000, with full tables starting at $350,000.
Your outfit must be approved in advance
Theme dressing is non-negotiable, and all outfits must be personally signed off by Wintour before the event.
Celebrities are known to spend months working with their stylists to get it right.
This year’s theme is Costume Art, and guests are expected to deliver accordingly.
Leave your phone at the door
There is a strict no-phone policy inside the venue.
The rule was implemented by Wintour to encourage genuine conversation among guests.
“She likes a dinner party where people are actually speaking to each other,” former Met Gala planner Sylvana Durrett explained in the documentary The First Monday in May, adding that staff will “gently remind” anyone who forgets.
That hasn’t stopped a few rule-breakers sneaking their phones inside to take selfies over the years — Kylie Jenner‘s 2017 bathroom snap featuring her sisters and various A-listers became notorious — but the crackdown has tightened considerably since.
No garlic, no onions, no parsley
Wintour personally approves the menu for the event, and she is famously particular about what gets served.
Parsley is banned outright — “because you don’t want that stuck in your teeth” — while garlic and onions are off the table for obvious reasons.
Even bruschetta has been vetoed, deemed too risky for anyone wearing a couture gown.
You can’t sit next to your spouse
Seating is meticulously planned — and couples are deliberately separated.
Met Gala organiser Eaddy Kiernan told Vogue in 2023: “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 realise that they have a lot in common.”
You get exactly 20 seconds with Anna
According to Amy Odell’s biography, Anna, each guest is allocated precisely 20 seconds to speak with Wintour at the top of the famous stairs — and not a moment more.
With a guest list of around 450 people, efficiency is everything.
No smoking, no touching the art — and no publicists
Smoking anywhere inside the museum is a bannable offence, as is touching any of the artwork.
When CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King asked Met curator Andrew Bolton what would definitely get someone exiled, his answer was swift: “Smoking. Smoking in the galleries. Touching the artwork. Those would be no-nos.”
Guests also can’t bring their personal publicists inside, which means celebrities are largely left to navigate the night on their own.
Strictly adults only
Since 2018, the Met Gala has enforced a strict adults-only policy.
Prior to that, Elle Fanning attended at 13, Hailee Steinfeld at 14 and Willow and Jaden Smith at 15 and 17 respectively.
The rule has been firmly in place ever since.
