What actually happens inside the Met Gala?

For most of us, our access to the Met Gala ends with the red carpet. Despite being one of the most highly publicised events of the year, it’s also one of the most private. Thanks to a strict no-phones policy, much of what actually goes on inside the Met Gala has been shrouded in mystery. Well, sort of. Over the years, A-listers have managed to break this rule, typically snapping (and posting) pics from inside the bathroom. But besides sneaking away to take selfies, what actually goes on inside the Met Gala?

We’ve done some digging, and have come up with some answers. Below, your guide to exactly what happens at the Met Gala, after the red carpet concludes.

First, there’s a cocktail hour

Like most good nights, the festivities kick off with the pop of a champagne bottle. Once they’ve made their way up the Met steps, guests mingle amongst the walls of the actual exhibition. Reminder: this year, the event is staged around the Costume Institutes exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which opens to the public on May 10 and closes on October 26,

Next, it’s dinner time

With the meet-and-greet out of the way, it’s time to sit down for dinner. If you’ve seen the fashion documentary The First Monday In May, you’ll know that the seating chart for this portion of the night is no accident, and is pored over by Anna Wintour and her assistants. The same documentary also revealed that couples are deliberately separated for dinner. Sylvanna Ward Durett, former director of special projects at Vogue, said: “Never seat spouses next to each other. The whole point of these things is to meet new people and to be interested in what others are doing. What’s the point if you come here to hang out with your husband?”

As for what’s on the menu, Wintour has famously banned the use of garlic from the gala, for fear it will give guests bad breath. While the exact menu for this year’s event remains to be seen, in 2023, Vogue shared that guests dined on an entrée chilled spring pea soup with baby vegetables, lemon crème fraîche and truffle snow, followed by Ōra King salmon with vegetable nage, asparagus, pickled strawberries and radish.

There’s usually a performance

Thanks to some sneaky camera-work, we caught a glimpse of the performance at the 2024 Met Gala, which saw Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo give a whimsical (and beautiful) performance in honour of that year’s theme: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.

The musical performance marks the end to the night’s formalities, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Traditionally, celebrities will then make their way to a host of after parties smattered across New York City. Naturally, they have to make a pit stop to slip into something a little more comfortable first…