Perhaps no Met Gala has spawned as much advance chatter as the event kicking off Monday evening on the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Indeed, even a cursory look at social media proves that fashion devotees and neophytes alike have thoughts about this year’s fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute, and how those strong opinions might impact the starry evening is about to be revealed.

Backlash kicked in almost immediately upon the announcement in February that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, would serve as the evening’s honorary chairs, contributing $10 million for the privilege. Amid ongoing economic challenges that include high gas and grocery prices, ICE protests and Amazon’s $1 million contribution to Donald Trump’s 2024 inauguration, the Bezos’ involvement in the Met Gala has been viewed as myopic, rubbing plenty of New Yorkers and members of the fashion and entertainment industries the wrong way. That may play out as protests on the sidewalk across the street from the museum’s Fifth Avenue steps, which in the past has been occupied largely with fans cheering as guests arrive.

Most official livestreams of the Met Gala carpet kick off at 6 p.m., but look for earlier arrivals to include the evening’s co-chairs: Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour, who has been overseeing the Met Gala since 1995, alongside Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Beyoncé, attending her first Met Gala since 2016. Bezos and his wife are likely also due to arrive at this time, with members of the host committee — a buzzy list that includes Sabrina Carpenter, Teyana Taylor, Elizabeth Debicki, Chase Sui Wonders and Blackpink’s Lisa — following soon after. Anticipated guests who will make their entrances later include Madonna, Rihanna, Cher, The Devil Wears Prada 2 star Anne Hathaway and Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.

The gala’s dress code, “Fashion Is Art,” is a nod to the exhibition Costume Art, which previewed for media and guests Monday morning at the museum, while Met Gala guests also will enjoy a first look at the exhibition, presented in new galleries on the museum’s first floor. With that theme in mind, expect a variety of artful takes on the carpet, worn by guests of designers that include Thom Browne, Gucci’s Demna and Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello, who is co-chairing the gala host committee with Zoë Kravitz. Costume Art opens to the public on Sunday, May 10, and runs through Jan. 10, 2027.

Individual tickets to the invitation-only Met Gala are $100,000, while the starting price for tables is $350,000. All money raised is used to fund the Costume Institute’s exhibitions, acquisitions, publications and operations. The 2025 Met Gala brought in $31 million, the largest amount raised at the annual event since it first took place in 1948.

Will the ongoing controversy impact the attention this high-wattage fashion event typically draws? We’re about to find out — The Hollywood Reporter will update this gallery with arrivals throughout the evening.