There are two big rule that can get you banned đź‘€ .
At its heart, theMet Galais the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser for its Costume Institute. However, it’s more well-kown for being one of the most exclusive — and fashionable — social events of the year. That exclusivity comes with some notoriously strict rules that attendees must follow.
Here are 13 of the strict rules celebs and staff reportedly have to follow at theMet Gala:
1.Only invited guests are allowed to attend — and for 2024, ticketscost$75,000. Oftentimes, brands pay for a table then choose who to invite on their dime, but everyone must be approved by Vogue and its editor-in-chief,Anna Wintour.
2.There’s adress codethat attendees are highly encouraged to follow. This year, it’s “The Garden of Time,” inspired by a 1962 short story by J.G. Ballard.
Thethemeof this yr ’s exhibit is " Sleeping knockout : Reawakening Fashion . " It will showcase " kip beauties " — i.e. , piece of clothing that are so delicate , they ca n’t be jade anymore .
In " The Garden of Time " short tale , a count has to pluck a quartz glass bloom that reverses clock time from his lucullan garden to restore fiat to the beautiful Doroteo Arango where he and his wife , the countess , live on because , each time of day , a pack outside gets closer . In the last , the count picks the final peak , and the ring descends on his rundown place .
basically , perVogue , the dress code boils down to " fleeting beauty . "
3.Smoking isprohibited, as it violatesNew YorkCity’sSmoke-Free Air Act.
However , this does n’t halt some celebs from smoking in the bathroom at the Met — and some even post exposure evidence to social media .
In 2017 , viral picture of celebs likeBella Hadid , Rami Malik , andDakota Johnsonsmoking in the bathroom garnered criticism from city health officials .
In anopen letterto the Met ’s SVP , Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett enounce , " This prominent event awes us all . We were dismayed to interpret report card that some celebrities select smoking as their fashion accessory and flagrantly violated New York City ’s smoking jurisprudence … You look up to and emulate the designer , models , actors , and other fame who attend the  Met Gala .  We thus are concerned about how persona of these celebrities smoking — which were wide apportion around the cosmos via social media — will touch youth smoking rate . "
Inresponse , the museum read that it would " take dance step to assure this does not bechance again . "
4.Touching the artwork is prohibited — and, like smoking, it’s a big enough offense to get you banned from the Met Gala.
On a 2023 installment ofCBS Mornings , Gayle King asked , " What ’s the dear way to never be invited back again ? "
Curator  Andrew Bolton respond , " smoke . Smoking in the galleries . come to the artwork . Those would be no- nos .
5.In 2015, guestsreportedlyreceived this notice prior to the event: “The use of phones for photography and social media will not be permitted inside the gala.”
This is likely why so many celebs sneak selfies in the bathroom , a laKylie Jennerand protagonist in 2017 .
6.InThe First Monday in May,Sylvana Durrett, Vogue’s director of special projects, reportedly said that event staff “subtly monitor” guests to make sure they’re chatting instead of being on their phones.
She said , " Anna is sort of an one-time - schooltime traditionalist . She likes a dinner party company where people are in reality speaking to each other . We are n’t sitting over people ’s shoulder , but if it ’s an obvious thing , we might gently prompt them . "
7.According toAnna: The Biography by Amy Odell, as they enter, each guest is allowed a maximum of 20 seconds to speak with Anna Wintour at the top of the stairs.
8.Inside the event, there’s aseating chartguests must adhere to. The organizers start with a seating document in December and finalize the chart in April.
In 2023 , Met Gala PDA Â Eaddy Kiernan toldVogue , " We really attempt to remember very cautiously about who ’s sitting next to each other . Our ideal pairing would maybe be two people who we think will just get on like a mansion on flak but who may not even take in that they have a sight in common . So , with each soul , we really do take time to mean , ' What will they blab out about?' … We sample and think a good deal about sight lines and where people have sit in the past . And we seek to make certain someone is n’t stare into the eyes of a former flame . "
9.According to the documentaryThe First Monday in May, attendees aren’t allowed to sit next to their spouses.
Vogue ’s director of extra projects  Sylvana Ward Durrett said , " The whole point of these things is to meet new multitude , and to be interested in what others are doing . What ’s the full point if you come here to pay heed out with your husband ? "
10.In 2018, Vogue imposed an age restriction on attendees. Organizers toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat “it’s not an appropriate event for people under 18” — and that was an executive decision.
That year , then-15 - year - old Maddie Ziegler toldTHR , " I ca n’t go , because I ’m not former enough ! "
11.According to theNew York Post, the chef isn’t allowed to serve parsley to prevent it from getting stuck in guests' teeth.
12.Likewise, onion and garlic are alsoreportedlybanned from the menu to prevent bad breath.
13.And finally, theNew York Postreported that certain appetizers, such as bruschetta, are forbidden because they can get messy.
