Met Gala 2025: When it starts, how to watch and who will attend

Rita Ora and Taika Waititi attend the 2024 Met Gala. Photo / AFP

The 2025 Met Gala is nearly here, with Hollywood’s biggest names set to take to the red carpet at the annual fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

The star-studded event opens the Met’s annual fashion exhibit each year, overseen by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Before the red carpet is rolled out and A-listers begin ascending the steps of the Met, here’s everything you need to know about the biggest fashion event of the year.

When does it start?

The Met Gala is traditionally held on the first Monday of May.

Guests are expected to arrive from 5.30pm ET on May 5 in the US, according to NBC News, while New Zealanders can watch the action unfold from 10am on Tuesday May 6.

Where can I watch?

The Met Gala Livestream will be broadcast on Vogue‘s YouTube channel, hosted by Ego Nwodim and La La Anthony.

You can also follow the coverage on the NZ Herald website.

What is this year’s Met Gala Theme?

This year’s theme reflects the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, titled Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.

It draws inspiration from the 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, written by Monica L. Miller.

According to Vogue, this theme will “explore the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities, focusing on the emergence, significance, and proliferation of the Black dandy”, and will highlight Black designers.

The dress code is “Tailored for You” - so expect to see lots of suiting and a focus on menswear on the carpet.

Zendaya appears at the 2024 Met Gala. Photo / AFP

Last year’s theme was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, with the dress code “Garden of Time”.

Some of the best looks last year came from Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Lana Del Rey, Kendall Jenner and Charli XCX, according to Viva.

Who are the co-chairs this year?

The co-chairs of this year’s Met Gala are Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James as an honorary chair.

The host committee includes Edward Enninful, Ayo Edibiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, André 3000, Jeremy O. Harris, Audra McDonald, Tyla, Usher, and others.

Pharrell Williams, Anna Wintour, and Lewis Hamilton at a press conference in October 2024 announcing the 2025 Met Gala theme. Photo / AFP

Who will attend the Met Gala this year?

The Met Gala guest list is typically kept under wraps.

Will the Kardashians attend? Could we see Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet finally make their relationship red carpet official?

There has also been speculation that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could appear side by side on the carpet this year.

Rihanna, who consistently makes the best-dressed list for her Met Gala outfits, is expected to attend after missing out on last year’s event due to sickness. Her partner A$AP Rocky is one of the co-chairs this year.

Since making her Met Gala debut in 2015, Zendaya has cemented her status as a scene-stealing presence at the event, styled by the inimitable Law Roach. According to the stylist, they are each “doing our own thing this year”.

Could she be appearing alongside her fiancé, actor Tom Holland? It’s unlikely, as the pair typically avoid joint appearances “because it’s not my moment, it’s her moment”, according to Holland.

Other celebrities expected to be in attendance include Gigi Hadid, Usher, Ariana Grande and Sydney Sweeney.