The 2026 Met Gala has arrived, and with “Costume Art” as this year’s theme, tomorrow night’s steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art could produce one of the most visually ambitious red carpets in recent memory. Scheduled for Monday, May 4, the annual fashion spectacle opens the museum’s new Condé M. Nast Galleries with a 5,000-year retrospective examining the dressed body as fine art, while the “Fashion Is Art” dress code all but guarantees sculptural couture, archival references, and museum-grade theatricality.
As always, the official guest list remains tightly guarded until arrivals begin. Still, between confirmed host committee names, co-chair announcements, artist travel sightings, and brand affiliations, a clearer picture is emerging of which music stars are virtually certain to attend — and which major names remain firmly in speculation territory.
Beyoncé is the night’s headline certainty. Officially serving as one of the event’s four co-chairs alongside Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, her appearance marks a major return after last attending in 2016. Given both her decade-long absence and her status as one of fashion’s most watched figures, expectations are already unusually high. Few attendees carry more pressure — or potential — to define the night’s visual narrative.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa is equally confirmed through her host committee role, making her one of the evening’s central music-fashion crossovers. After her Met debut in 2025 and ongoing luxury fashion presence, her attendance signals a continued expansion of K-pop’s influence within the event’s highest-profile spaces. Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, and Yseult are also official host committee members, placing them firmly on the expected carpet roster.
Sabrina’s inclusion comes off another breakout year. She represents the younger commercial-pop class increasingly central to fashion’s biggest institutions. Doja Cat, meanwhile, may be among the night’s most anticipated wildcard dressers, given her history of surrealist and conceptual fashion choices. Sam Smith and Teyana Taylor both bring reputations for bold silhouette experimentation, while Yseult’s avant-garde sensibility could align especially well with a theme rooted in art history.
K-pop attention extends beyond Lisa. Karina and Ningning of aespa have reportedly arrived in New York, strongly indicating attendance, though not through official Met channels.
Then there are the heavily rumored names. Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo remain plausible given Lisa’s involvement, their own designer relationships, and recent New York sightings for some members. Rihanna, long considered Met Gala royalty, always commands speculation simply by existing within fashion’s upper echelon, though her selective appearances make certainty impossible. Cardi B and Dua Lipa remain frequent logical predictions due to established red carpet histories and strong brand alliances.
Lady Gaga may be the most intriguing speculative return. With “Fashion Is Art” practically engineered for her brand of performative dressing, the theme feels unusually compatible with her Met legacy.
Camila Cabello’s recent presence in New York has sparked quieter chatter, while Katy Perry’s own teasing has reignited familiar annual speculation. Pharrell Williams, despite lacking formal confirmation, remains deeply embedded in fashion’s infrastructure and could easily emerge as one of the night’s crossover heavyweights.
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