Met Gala 2026 ticket prices hit $100,000: But, you can’t buy tickets even if you can afford it; here’s why

The Met Gala 2026 has made history in more ways than one. Tickets have crossed the six-figure mark for the very first time.

Each ticket now costs $100,000 ( ₹95 lakh), up from $75,000 last year, according to CBS News. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 ( ₹3.2 crore), the publication added. The event has been running for nearly 80 years.

Tickets are not available for public purchase. Attendance is strictly by invitation only. However, fashion design houses sometimes buy tables for select guests.

These guests may attend without bearing any personal cost. Around 400 guests are expected at this year's gala.

Proceeds from the Met Gala 2026 fund the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. In 2025, the event raised an impressive $31 million. This year's figures are expected to surpass that milestone by a significant margin.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, are this year's honorary chairs. Bezos has a net worth of $286 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He also owns the rocket company Blue Origin and the Washington Post.

His involvement has drawn backlash from activist group Everyone Hates Elon. The group hacked subway display cases to post anti-billionaire messages. This year's official co-chairs are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

The 2026 Met Gala theme is "Fashion is Art”. It is inspired by the forthcoming "Costume Art" exhibit at the Costume Institute.

The exhibit explores the relationship between clothing and the human body. The gala celebrates the opening of this spring's exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Isha Ambani wore a custom sculptural saree woven with gold threads. Her bejewelled blouse featured over 1,800 carats of diamonds. She also carried a mango sculpture by artist Subodh Gupta.

Filmmaker Karan Johar made his official Met Gala debut. He wore a "Framed in Eternity" ensemble inspired by painter Raja Ravi Varma. The look featured hand-painted motifs and a dramatic six-foot cape by Manish Malhotra.

Entrepreneur Ananya Birla also made her debut. She wore a futuristic black couture gown by Robert Wun. A stainless-steel face mask designed by Subodh Gupta completed the look.

Designer Manish Malhotra walked the carpet in a black bandhgala and an architectural cape. The piece took over 960 hours to create, according to The Indian Express.

Natasha Poonawalla wore a wearable sculpture inspired by a white orchid. It was a collaboration between British artist Marc Quinn and Dolce & Gabbana.

Princess Gauravi Kumari wore a gown crafted from her grandmother Maharani Gayatri Devi's vintage saree. Businesswoman Sudha Reddy wore a "Tree of Life" ensemble accessorised with a rare 550-carat tanzanite necklace valued at $15 million.