The 2026 Met Gala delivered exactly what fashion fans expect: drama, risk and full red-carpet spectacle.

This year’s theme, Costume Art, pushed stars to treat clothing as performance. The event marked the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibition, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour named as co-chairs.

The carpet opened with Broadway star Joshua Henry performing I Wanna Dance With Somebody on the Met steps. The setting matched the mood, with the stairs styled like mossy bricks in a lush garden.

Beyoncé Makes a Major Return

Beyoncé made her first Met Gala appearance in 10 years and arrived with Jay-Z and 14-year-old Blue Ivy.

Her Olivier Rousteing look featured an embellished skeleton-style gown and a massive feathered cape. Asked how it felt to return, Beyoncé said it felt great to be there with her daughter and husband.

Rihanna also made a major entrance, arriving late with A$AP Rocky. She wore a custom Maison Margiela gown by Glenn Martens, covered in jewels and beads. A$AP Rocky wore custom Chanel, including a pink coat with black satin lapels.

Stars Lean Into the Theme

Several celebrities went fully theatrical.

Heidi Klum dressed as a marble statue, while Bad Bunny used makeup to appear much older. Katy Perry covered her face with a mirrored mask, while Madonna wore a nautical-inspired look with a ship-shaped headpiece and grey veil.

Angela Bassett chose a pink Prabal Gurung gown inspired by Girl in a Pink Dress by Laura Wheeler Waring. Lauren Sánchez Bezos wore a Schiaparelli gown referencing John Singer Sargent’s Madame X.

Sabrina Carpenter brought Old Hollywood energy in a dress made from celluloid film strips. Doja Cat wore a Grecian-style Saint Laurent dress made from silicone.

Historic Moments on the Carpet

Model and activist Aariana Rose Philip made history as the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala, according to Vogue. Philip said disabled people had long been left out of spaces like this and called the moment an honour.

Venus Williams wore a black sparkling gown with a jewel-encrusted neck piece. When asked how it felt to co-chair, she said she was “dancing inside”.

From Beyoncé’s comeback to Madonna’s ship-shaped headpiece, Met Gala 2026 proved one thing: when the brief is art, subtlety stays at home.