The Exact Time The Met Gala Red Carpet Starts: Your Ultimate 2025 Viewing Guide

The Met Gala, fashion's biggest night, is one of the most highly anticipated annual events, and knowing the precise start time is crucial for fans around the world who want to catch the jaw-dropping red carpet looks as they happen. The official televised coverage and livestream of the red carpet arrivals for the 2025 Met Gala is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), though the very first celebrity arrivals often start making their way up the iconic steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as early as 4:30 p.m. ET.

This year’s event, held on Monday, May 5, 2025, will celebrate the Costume Institute's spring exhibition, making the timing of the broadcast a hot topic for global audiences. Below is your definitive guide to the 2025 Met Gala start times, time zone conversions, the official livestream hosts, and all the essential details about the theme and co-chairs.

The 2025 Met Gala: Date, Theme, and Celebrity Co-Chairs

The Met Gala, formally known as The Costume Institute Gala, is always held on the first Monday in May to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.

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Key Details for the 2025 Event

• Official Date: Monday, May 5, 2025.
• Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
• Exhibition Theme: "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." This exhibition explores the history and significance of Black style and tailoring.
• Official Dress Code: "Tailored for You," which is expected to inspire guests to showcase personalized and intricate interpretations of formalwear and tailoring.
• Celebrity Co-Chairs: The 2025 event will be co-chaired by a powerhouse group of celebrities and fashion figures, including Vogue's Anna Wintour, actor Colman Domingo, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky, and musician Pharrell Williams. Honorary Chair for the event is NBA legend LeBron James.

Met Gala Red Carpet Start Time: The Official Schedule

While the event itself is a private, exclusive dinner and fundraiser, the Red Carpet is the public spectacle that draws millions of viewers worldwide. The official broadcast time is when the major stars and co-chairs begin to arrive and the professional hosts take over the coverage.

The Critical Time Windows (All Times Eastern Time - ET/EDT)

• First Guest Arrivals: The earliest guests, often including high-profile designers and their muses, typically begin arriving around 4:30 p.m. ET.
• Official Livestream and Broadcast Start: The main, coordinated livestream on platforms like Vogue and E! begins at 6:00 p.m. ET. This is the time you should tune in to catch the bulk of the A-list arrivals.
• Peak Red Carpet Hour: The period between 6:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. ET is often considered the peak, where the most anticipated attendees, including the co-chairs and major celebrity couples, make their entrance.
• Red Carpet Conclusion: The arrivals typically wrap up around 8:00 p.m. ET, after which the guests head inside The Met for the private viewing, dinner, and entertainment.

Global Time Zone Conversion for the Met Gala

Since the Met Gala is broadcast from New York City (which observes Eastern Daylight Time—EDT, or UTC-4 in May), viewers in other parts of the world need to adjust their clocks. Use the official 6:00 p.m. ET livestream start time to plan your viewing.

Key International Start Times

To ensure you don't miss a single look, here is a quick conversion chart for the official 6:00 p.m. ET start time:

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• Pacific Time (PST/PDT): 3:00 p.m. PDT
• Central Time (CST/CDT): 5:00 p.m. CDT
• Mountain Time (MST/MDT): 4:00 p.m. MDT
• Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) / Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): 10:00 p.m. UTC/GMT
• British Summer Time (BST): 11:00 p.m. BST
• Central European Time (CET): 12:00 a.m. (Midnight, the next day)
• India Standard Time (IST): 3:30 a.m. (The next day)
• Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): 8:00 a.m. (The next day)

For fans in Europe and Asia, be prepared for a late night or an early morning, as the event's timing is optimized for U.S. prime time viewing.

How to Watch the Met Gala Red Carpet Live Stream (For Free!)

Unlike the exclusive dinner inside The Met, the red carpet arrivals are widely broadcast and, in most cases, completely free to stream online. This accessibility ensures a massive global audience for the event's fashion statements.

Official Livestream Platforms

The primary and official source for the red carpet livestream is through the event's main organizer and sponsor, Condé Nast's Vogue.

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• Vogue.com: The official website will host the high-definition, dedicated stream.
• Social Media Channels: The entire broadcast is simulcast across all of Vogue's major social platforms, making it easily accessible:
  • Vogue's YouTube Channel
  • Vogue's Instagram
  • Vogue's TikTok
  • Vogue's X (formerly Twitter)
• Cable Broadcast: For viewers who prefer traditional television, the E! network typically provides extensive coverage of the arrivals, also starting around 6:00 p.m. ET.

Who is Hosting the 2025 Met Gala Livestream?

The official Vogue livestream is hosted by a rotating panel of celebrity and fashion personalities who provide commentary, context, and conduct live interviews. For the 2025 event, the hosts leading the coverage are expected to include actress and musician Teyana Taylor, TV personality La La Anthony, and comedian Ego Nwodim. Social media star Emma Chamberlain is also expected to return to the red carpet to conduct exclusive interviews with the attendees.

Beyond the Red Carpet: What Happens After 8:00 PM ET?

Once the last celebrity has walked the steps and the red carpet is officially closed around 8:00 p.m. ET, the public viewing of the event concludes. The real, private fundraiser begins inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The attendees are the first to view the new Costume Institute exhibition—this year, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style"—followed by a private cocktail hour and a formal dinner.

The event is known for its secrecy, with a strict "no phone" policy once guests are inside, meaning no photos or social media posts are allowed from the private portions of the evening. The event typically features a surprise musical performance, and the entire gala is orchestrated by the legendary Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of Condé Nast and longtime chair of the event, ensuring every detail is perfectly executed for a night of fashion, philanthropy, and cultural significance.