This includes everything from the approximately 450-person guest list to the menu and decor inside the museum. They may also take the stage during the dinner portion of the night to speak or perform, per Marie Claire. 

Meanwhile, the hosting committee is believed to be more involved in the financial aspect of the night. Last year, the Met announced it was reviving the "longstanding tradition” of having a host committee in honor of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”-themed bash and again brought back the committee concept this year, spearheaded by Yves Saint Laurent.

The 2026 committee is composed of two cochairs: YSL Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello and YSL campaign star Zoë Kravitz.

Host committee members include Angela Bassett, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, BLACKPINK's LISA, Gwendoline Christie, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, A’ja Wilson and Chase Sui Wonders. 

Also part of the committee is Vogue's new editor Chloe Malle, models Adut Akech, Alex Consani, Paloma Elsesser and Lauren Wasser, disability activist Sinéad Burke, actress Rebecca Hall, painter Amy Sherald, athlete and actress Aimee Mullins, artists Tschabalala Self and Anna Weyant, and French singer and model Yseult.

With careers spanning the entertainment industry—including film, music, TV, fashion, business, sports and more—the hosting committee’s main goal is to fundraise money for the Met’s Costume Institute and ultimately ensure the night is a financial success.

So, how do they do that? As The Hollywood Reporter stated, by “reaching into their networks to ensure robust attendance.” After all, an individual ticket to the invite-only gala is $100,000, with tables starting at $350,000, according to The New York Times.

And this year, Saint Laurent stepped up to provide “additional support” alongside Conde Nast, per the Met, which presumably means footing the bill for some of the festivities. Plus, the Met noted that the exhibition's "catalogue is made possible by Saint Laurent."

Also lending a financial hand are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who were given the titles of "lead sponsors and honorary cochairs." This means, as the Met Museum indicated on their website, “the exhibition and Benefit are made possible by” the couple.

With just hours to go until the 2026 Met Gala kicks off, take a walk down memory lane to see all of the showstopping looks from last year’s event.