Met Gala returns to traditional spot on first Monday in May

NEW YORK (AP) – Well, hello first Monday in May. The year’s biggest night in fashion, the Met Gala, returns to its usual berth on the social calendar this year after pandemic upheaval. And if it feels like one of those what, already moments, it is.

It’s been just under eight months since the last gala, an annual fundraiser that raises eight-figure sums for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

Pre-pandemic, about 600 A-listers from fashion, sports, music, film, TV, technology and beyond were invited. This year and last, the numbers were closer to 400.

More than $16.4 million was raised last year. The starry event is the institute’s primary budget feeder.