Met Gala 2026: Beyoncé, Kidman, Venus Williams, and Bad Bunny highlight New York's most glamorous evening

(AFP) The glitziest stars from Hollywood, music, sports, and styling paraded down the red carpet. Monday is for the Met Gala, the Manhattan charity ball extravaganza that this year puts the spotlight on the intersection of fashion and art.

Celebrities invited to New York's most important annual social event were asked to dress under the slogan "Fashion is Art," which ties in with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's (Met) Costume Institute's "The Art of Costume" exhibition.

Tennis legend Venus Williams and Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who are co-chairing the event, were among the first to arrive.

Kidman dazzled in a bright red Chanel gown with long sleeves and wide feathered cuffs, while Williams sparkled in a black Swarovski crystal gown with an elaborate neck plaque.

Williams, 45, told Vogue that her outfit was inspired by a portrait of her at the National Portrait Gallery.

Beyoncé, another of the event's co-chairs, arrived at her first gala in a decade and stole the spotlight in a dress by French designer Olivier Rousteing.

"Queen B" attended accompanied by her husband, rapper Jay-Z, and their eldest daughter, 14-year-old Blue Ivy.

The parade of megastars did not stop. Madonna, Cher and Stevie Nicks were joined by the next generation of music stars—Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat and Tyla.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky arrived several hours late, as usual, making a grand entrance.

Bad Bunny, who has had a sweeping 2026 with major awards, a Grammy, and a Super Bowl halftime show, wore prosthetics and a white wig to explore what he would look like as an old man, according to Vogue.

Former model Heidi Klum transformed herself into a living Roman statue.

Rapper Doja Cat, one of several members of the gala's "host committee," wore a draped latex Saint Laurent gown with a demure neckline but a slit to the waist.

Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Anthony Vaccarello and Haider Ackermann were among the many fashion designers present during the evening.

Of course, it's all overseen by Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour, the ultimate prescriber of fashion in the United States, who has been at the helm of the event for 30 years.

Record-breaking fundraiser

The gala is a fundraiser for the Met's Costume Institute, and this year it raised a record $42 million, the museum's CEO Max Hollein told reporters Monday. In 2025, it raised $31 million.

But it is also a spectacle on social media as stars compete to stand out in spectacular outfits.

Last year's event showcased the subversive style of black dandyism and was an unusual Met Gala focused on men and men's fashion.

This year's show juxtaposes elegant fashion offerings with painting and sculpture: for example, a Saint Laurent design next to Van Gogh's "Lilies" or a John Galliano dress for Maison Margiela paired with an antique statue.

"When I think about the show, if there was one word to describe it, I guess it would be 'equity' or 'equivalence,' equivalence between works of art," Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton told AFP.

Controversy over Bezos

This year's edition has generated controversy following the announcement that Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos would be its lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.

In recent days, a campaign opposing the billionaire couple's participation appeared on the streets and subways of New York, with calls even to boycott an event that some consider an ostentatious display of immense wealth.

Behind the campaign is a group founded in the United Kingdom called "Everyone Hates Elon" that, a spokesman stressed, "also targets other billionaires" besides Elon Musk, the world's richest person.

Wintour said Monday that the couple "have shown with this event that they really, really care about giving back to society."

The Met Gala was first organized in 1948. For decades the party was reserved for New York high society until the 1990s when Wintour transformed it into a high-profile catwalk for the rich and famous.