Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez kicked off their Met Gala celebrations with a star-studded soirée in New York City last night, setting the tone for a week that has already pulled designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers and guests into the city ahead of the 2026 Met Gala.
Nicky Hilton, Jon Batiste, Ashley Graham, Sam Smith, Lindsey Vonn, Kris Jenner and Kendall Jenner were among the guests at the party, one of several gatherings unfolding before fashion's biggest night. Bezos and Sánchez have been announced as lead donors and honorary co-chairs of this year’s Met Gala, where Venus Williams and Nicole Kidman are serving as co-chairs.
By the weekend before the first Monday in May, stars had already started arriving in New York City and checking into the Mark Hotel, while pre-parties filled the days and nights leading up to the fundraiser. The pace makes clear how early the city begins to shift around the event, with the guest list, the fittings and the social calendar all moving at once.
The timing also gives the new roles added weight. Bezos and Sánchez are not just attending the season’s most watched party; they are helping anchor it, and their own celebration became part of the run-up to a fundraiser that now has the city in motion. That is the friction in the story: the Met Gala is still weeks away in the calendar, but in New York, it has already taken over the week.
What happens next is simple enough. More arrivals are expected, more pre-parties will follow, and the city will keep filling until the first Monday in May puts the 2026 Met Gala at center stage.
