Wait, what really happens inside the Met Gala? Here are some little-known details

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Things we know about the 2025 Met Gala: It's being held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hosted by Anna Wintour, and a slew of celebrities are expected to attend. But beyond that, very little is known about when VIPs will enter the museum, given the strict rules that say what goes inside the Met Gala actually stays inside.

While we, the people who wear sports T-shirts and judge everyone from our couches, watch celebrities climb the famous Met steps, that's where the public portion of this event ends. Once everyone is inside, phones (should) be turned off and there are no reporters present.

As Vogue puts it: “In short: It’s a secret. For that reason, guests must adhere to a no-call policy (and therefore, no social media).”

This means there are very few photos from inside the event, but sometimes the rules are broken - usually in the bathroom:

So, besides a few bathroom selfies, what actually happens at the Met Gala inside? Here's what we know:

Red carpet

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We know this part by now. Celebrities come. They pose. They walk in. We complain about how they don't stick to the topic and then we shout our thoughts out loud in various group conversations. Tradition!

Cocktail hour

After the carpet, guests "mingle" and tour the exhibit. The exhibit is also open to the public May 10 through October 26.

Dinner

Celebrities sit down for a formal dinner (after viewing exhibitions) with pre-assigned seating areas, which is a very difficult part to plan given everyone's inevitable drama with each other.

In 2021, party planner Eaddy Kiernan told Vogue that when it comes to deciding where stars sit, "We try to think very carefully about who sits next to whom. Our ideal couple would probably be two people who might not realize they have a lot in common. So with each person, we take the time to think, 'What are they going to talk about?' We try to think a lot about each person's appearance and where these people have sat at past Met Galas. We also try to make sure that someone isn't sitting across from an ex and they have to see eye to eye."

Here's a look at dinner planning in 2024: 

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recreation

Every year, at least one famous artist performs at the Met Gala (Vogue notes that "the event usually includes a high-profile artist"). This year's performance was given by Ariana Grande:

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The evening ends quite early anyway, giving celebrities a chance to change outfits and head to the parties that are organized afterwards. 

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_{Source: Cosmopolitan}