The announcement, made today by Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, signals the beginning of another highly anticipated edition of fashion’s biggest night. While the official theme and dress code are still under wraps, the event will be directly tied to the Costume Institute’s forthcoming exhibition, Costume Art.

Curated by Andrew Bolton, Costume Art will examine how garments have both reflected and redefined the human body across centuries. According to the museum’s press release, the exhibition will be organised into several key themes, including “the classical body,” “the naked body,” “the ageing body,” and “the pregnant body.” The show aims to explore how fashion interacts with evolving ideas of anatomy, beauty, and identity, while pushing the blurring boundaries between clothing and art.

The 2026 Met Gala is expected to take place on the first Monday in May, continuing the institution’s long-running tradition. Each year, the Gala serves as the Costume Institute’s primary fundraising event, drawing celebrities, designers, and cultural figures from across the world.

Beyoncé’s return to the Gala is already generating immense excitement. The singer last attended the event in 2016, wearing a striking latex Givenchy gown that became one of the evening’s most memorable looks. Her reappearance after nearly a decade, also being in an official hosting capacity, marks a symbolic homecoming to fashion’s biggest stage, one that reflects her continued reign over both music and style.

Venus Williams and Nicole Kidman round out a powerhouse trio of co-chairs. Williams, a longtime Met Gala attendee and advocate for inclusivity in fashion, is expected to bring her bold athletic runway sensibility to the table. Kidman, whose history with luxury fashion big names spans decades, offers a cinematic spectacle.

Under the guidance of Anna Wintour, the event’s visionary chair since 1995, this year’s Met Gala promises to fuse artistic innovation with cultural commentary. Given the conceptual nature of Costume Art, many are anticipating a red carpet that challenges conventional beauty standards and celebrates diversity across shape, age, and form.

As fashion enthusiasts await further details on the 2026 theme, speculation is already mounting about which designers will interpret Costume Art’s provocative exploration of the body. Attendees are sure to deliver looks that push boundaries, something Beyoncé, in particular, has long excelled at. With this powerhouse trio joining Anna Wintour and overseeing the event, the Met Gala 2026 is shaping up to be both a spectacle of creativity and a reflection of fashion’s evolving dialogue with the human form. 

As per the 2026 host committee who will be ambassadors of the event, we are expected to see attendance from Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz (both co-chairing the host committee), Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson and Yseult.

Featured Image Credits: Myleskalus, Sassy

The singer has been performing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London for the past week and included her cover of The Beatles 1968 classic ‘Blackbird’ to her setlist. The cover was a part of her most recent album ‘Cowboy Carter’ which was acclaimed upon release in 2024 and won Grammys for Best Duo/Country Group Performance, Best Country Album and Album of the Year.”.

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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

Beyoncé took to Instagram to post a snapshot of herself wearing a Blackbird themed outfit designed by Paul’s very own fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney and said: “Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney, for writing one of the best songs ever made. Every time I sing it I feel so honoured. And it is a full circle moment to wear your beautiful daughter’s design. Thank you, London, for creating unforgettable memories for me and my family. Holla at ‘ya when I come on tour again! (sic)”

Sir Paul MCartney sang the praises of the singer, saying her rendition of the song was a “killer version”. Also taking to Instagram back in 2024, he wrote the following words:  “I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird’. I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it! I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it. I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”

Beyoncé announced the details of her world tour earlier this year, to support the release of her highly praised country album ‘Cowboy Carter’, her latest release which dropped in 2024.

At the stadium, she gave fans a tracklist with a mixture of old and new. She kicked off the set with ‘Ameriican Requiem’ from her latest album. She then shared two covers –her version of the Beatles classic ‘Blackbird’ which also appeared on ‘Cowboy Carter’, and a rendition of the American national anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’.

She carried on playing hits from her latest record, including ‘Protector’, ‘Levii’s Jeans’, ‘Spaghetti’, ‘Just For Fun’, ‘Riiverdance’, and the album’s lead single, ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’.

Her 40-track setlist also contained some classic hits from her catalogue, such as ‘Crazy in Love’, ‘Single Ladies’, ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Irreplaceable’. She also pulled out some tracks from her recent ‘Renaissance’ record, such as ‘Cuff It’ and ‘Alien Superstar’. She closed out the proceedings with the final track from ‘Cowboy Carter’, the atmospheric anthem ‘Amen’.

Amidst the hype for her world tour, there has been some upset around the pricing of tickets for her concerts – she has the highest top-priced ticket of any artist visiting the UK in 2025, with prices peaking at £950.

But tickets weren’t sold out in the run up to her shows, so promoters slashed some prices with hopes to fill the arena. This led to disappointment from fans who’d already bought tickets at full price.

One fan, Zulkarnain Sadali, told the BBC that he flew from Singapore to watch Beyonce in London, purchasing a ticket which costed “more than £700”.

“A couple of weeks ago I checked my ticket and then curiosity got the best of me and I checked the same ticket, or same category, and the price was around £300,” he said.

“I’m really excited for [the show] but I will say the dynamic pricing really left a sour taste in my mouth.”

It’s not the first time that dynamic pricing has caused controversy – fans buying tickets for the Oasis reunion shows saw prices skyrocket past their original price, with some appearing on resale sites at £6,000.

You can see the full setlist for Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ shows below:

‘AMERIICAN REQUIEM’

‘Blackbird’ (The Beatles cover)
‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key cover)
‘Freedom’
‘YA YA / Why Don’t You Love Me’
‘AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM’
‘SPAGHETTII’
‘Formation’
‘MY HOUSE’
‘Diva’
‘ALLIIGATOR TEARS’
‘JUST FOR FUN’
‘PROTECTOR’
‘FLAMENCO’
‘DESERT EAGLE’
‘RIIVERDANCE’
‘II HANDS II HEAVEN’
‘TYRANT’
‘THIQUE’
‘LEVII’S JEANS’
‘SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’ / PURE/HONEY / SUMMER RENAISSANCE’
‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’
‘Crazy in Love’
‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’
‘Love on Top’
‘Irreplaceable’
‘If I Were a Boy’
‘Jolene’ (Dolly Parton cover)
‘Daddy Lessons’
‘BODYGUARD’
‘II MOST WANTED’
‘CUFF IT’
‘HEATED’
‘DAUGHTER’
‘I’M THAT GIRL’
‘COZY’
‘ALIEN SUPERSTAR’
‘ENERGY’
’16 CARRIAGES’
‘AMEN’

pic.twitter.com/zlkLX7nHnm

— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) February 2, 2025

The American Pop Star will be stopping at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with a capacity of almost 63,000, for six dates which will be taking place on June 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, and 16, 2025. Other stops on the Europe Tour include dates in Paris, taking place at the Stade de France in Paris on June 19, 21 and 22.

Of course, because of the incredible success ‘Cowboy Carter‘ has had (including a Grammy), many are wondering what the prices will be like for the tickets: as any other concert, ticket prices vary depending on the venue, seating selection, and available packages.

For instance, at Houston’s NRG Stadium, prices range from $76 to $1,500, depending on seating and VIP packages. In the UK, prices are expected to be in a similar range, though exact figures may vary. So far, it seems that ticket prices range from £71.60 to £950, excluding VIP packages. During presales, regular standing tickets were priced at £224.85, while those closest to the stage were £858.10. These prices are subject to change based on demand and availability.

This won’t be the first time the Grammy Award winner will be performing in the UK, as she in fact has an extensive history of sold out shows in some of the UK’s biggest and most iconic stadiums and arenas. In 2023 she completed the ‘Renaissance World Tour’, performing multiple nights at the Hotspur Stadium, the same as this upcoming tour. The tour was followed by a film, which held its world premiere in late 2023 in London.

In 2026, Beyoncé performed two sold out nights at Wembley Stadium in July for her ‘Formation World Tour’ which promoted the ‘Lemonade’ Album. The stage featured a 60-foot-tall rotating LED screen, water effects, and powerful visuals addressing themes of empowerment and social justice. Between 2013 and 2014 the pop star carried out her most extensive UK tours to date, performing multiple nights in major cities, including London’s O2 Arena, Birmingham, and Manchester.

Tickets for Beyoncé’s upcoming tour can be purchased here.

Venues, tour dates and ticket prices are yet to be confirmed. The last time she performed in the UK was in 2023 as part of the ‘Renaissance‘ World Tour.

SHE COMING. pic.twitter.com/PZYtIOtcYi

— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) February 3, 2025

The announcement came after she won big at the Grammy’s last night. She managed to secure the coveted ‘Album Of The Year’ award for her 2024 album, ‘Cowboy Carter’. An accolade she’s pursued for years, the superstar had been nominated four times before and lost out.

The award was presented to her by members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Beyoncé respectfully thanked the firefighters, acknowledging their hard work during the recent LA fires. She continued, saying “I just feel full and very honoured,” and alluding to coming close to winning ‘Album Of The Year’ before, she said “It’s been many, many years. I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work.”

It was a night of significant achievements for Beyoncé – she’s now the most nominated artist in Grammy history (99) and has broken the record for the most Grammy wins, with 35 trophies. She’s the first Black woman of the current century to win the ‘Album Of The Year’ award as a solo act. Later that night, she also won the ‘Best Country Album’ award, which was delivered to her by Taylor Swift. Another historical feat, as she is now the first Black woman to win the award. Bey and Miley Cyrus also grabbed the Grammy for ‘Best Country Duo/Group Performers’ for their collaboration ‘II MOST WANTED’.

Her 8^th studio album, ‘Cowboy Carter’, dropped on March 29 of last year. The record took inspiration from music and culture in the American south, with a range of influences from southern sounds like folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. As her previous album ‘Renaissance‘ highlighted the Black history behind house music, ‘Cowboy Carter’ pays tribute to the often-overlooked Black contributions to country music. In the build-up to its release, Beyoncé gave a look into its inspiration and how the album came to be. She wrote on Instagram that the album was “over five years in the making” and “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.”

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Curious fans speculated that the uncomfortable experience she had may have been at the 2016 Country Music Awards. Beyoncé performed her song “Daddy Lessons” with the Dixie Chicks, which faced a storm of criticism and racist detractors online.

Even after releasing one of the biggest country hits of the year, ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’, and one of the most successful country albums, she was unfortunately snubbed by the CMA’s this year, left without a single nomination.

Beyonce’s last public performance was for the halftime concert at the NFL Christmas Gameday in December 2024. Met with positive reviews from fans and critics, Ms Knowles-Carter brought her Southern experience to life, riding in on horseback with a cowboy hat, and performing with a marching band. Fans excited for her 2025 tour dates can watch that below.

Speaking about the monumental festival slot, he said “I was trying to get in a shape I’ve never been in in my life.” He said of preparing physically, “I was taking my body and my nutrition to this entirely new place, while also trying to create this flipping iconic, legendary set. I had headlined Wireless, but this was a whole new beast. This was pulling all the stops out.’

While he’s not been shy to show his muscular build before, going shirtless in live performances and an album cover, he says he wasn’t always so athletic – “I’m not someone who grew up super fit. I’ve always been kind of bog standard.”

His highly praised set at Glasto was a milestone achievement – the first UK rapper to headline the festival, as well as the first Black British solo artist. He used the platform to deliver messages about politics, social equality and knife crime, all the while giving a blistering performance featuring a choir, a live band, and even ballet dancers.

He tells of how he assembled a team to get him looking in the best shape possible. One of those involved was performance nutritionist James Collins, who’s also worked with Olympians and footballers. James recalls Stormzy saying “I’m headlining Glasto, I need to have energy to go from a normal 60-minute set to a 90-minute set and also I need to look like I’m in the best shape, so when I take my top off it needs to have real impact.”

The Croydon MC was inspired to get a nutritionist and work on his fitness after watching Beyonce’s Homecoming film, following her preparation and performance for Coachella. He was mesmerized by her ability to sing so well and do the most “insane choreography”, saying that she’s an inspiration on and off stage, and “the best to ever do it.”

The “Shut Up” songmaker was recently shouted out by Gareth Southgate in his selection for Desert Island Discs. The ex-England manager told Radio 4 that he chose Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” remix featuring Stormzy, saying that he thinks he’s “another amazing British artist”, and that one of the “reasons to be proud of our nation, music talent is one of those things.”

Stormzy has been involved with the football world before. In November 2022, he teamed up with Adidas and other brands to form “Merky FC”, a programme to help Black British youth find jobs in the football industry. Seeking to create leadership positions in the football industry, their website says it was “Created in response to the fact that currently only 6.7% of leadership positions in football are held by those with Black Heritage.”

His interview with Mens Health also mentions that he’s staying in LA, currently working on new material for his fourth album. He says of the chaotic feeling of creating, ‘Every time I make an album, I’m like, “Okay, let’s start this fucking tornado and let’s get over it.”’ You can read the full interview here.

“I’m impartial,” he says. This also marks the second year for the best artist prize, as the BRITs replaced best male and female awards with one gender-neutral category in 2022. Mo remains aware of the constant criticisms and Newsbeat aren’t the first ones to bring the matter up.

Mark Savage, a BBC Music correspondent interviews Mo about the music industry as a whole. Mo says, “No-one gets into this industry being like, ‘I must win this award, I must be nominated for that’. “And the people that are watching it, the young kids who are like, ‘Oh, I want to be like Adele or Beyoncé, or Sam Smith, they just want to be like their first idols. This is a celebration of music first.”

Mo likes the fact that artists are speaking out, as he uses a lot of music in his routines. He tells Newsbeat, “They’re being heard and their opinions are being listened to. It’s nice to be a part of musicians who are using their platform to have an opinion on society and life.”

Regardless of criticisms or non-criticisms, all eyes are focused on Mo within a second when he’s on stage. He confessed that he’d be lying if he said that wasn’t nervous ahead of Saturday. “This is a big occasion for me and for so many people,” Mo says. “I think it’s nice to have some nerves you know, I think the day I don’t have any nerves is the day that this is too normal.”

Mo shares what he has learnt from last year’s BRIT Awards as a ‘first-timer’ host. He says that he will “probably be a bit calmer than last year” when he was “shouting a lot”. “What you could expect is a bit more controlled chaos on my behalf. I’m doing a suit change as well so I’m doing two different colours. He tells Newsbeat.

In all seriousness, Mo expressed that this experience as a host from last year’s awards shaped his confidence in this year’s awards. He says, “Last year, I wasn’t that confident in doing it but I’ve kind of got one under my belt now.”

The formation tour sold over 300,000 tickets in the UK alone and saw her perform in London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Sunderland and Manchester. Beyoncé sold out tickets for Wembley arena, which has a 90,000 capacity, in just minutes, to which she added an additional tour date.

The Renaissance tour will commence on 10 May, in Stockholm and will proceed in parts of Europe and in stadiums across the UK in the Spring and Summer of 2023.

The superstar announced the news of her upcoming tour to her Instagram, in which she captioned ‘RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR 2023′

The world tour is in support of her most recent album, ‘Renaissance,’ which debuted in the summer of 2022. The album has been certified gold in the UK and debuted at number one in the UK charts.

Renaissance became Beyoncé’s fourth UK number one album, following on from previous albums ‘Dangerously in love‘ (2003), ‘4‘ (2011) and ‘Lemonade‘ (2016).

Beyoncé openly spoke about how she developed her album, Renaissance, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prior to its release, the album was reportedly leaked online. Beyoncé later posted a message to social media, expressing her influence and ‘intention’ for the album, which was supposedly in response to the album leak.

”Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place. A place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream. Release. Feel Freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

Following the release of ‘Renaissance’, the album was praised for its platforming of LGBTQ+ artists. However, Beyoncé was later criticised for choosing to perform an exclusive, invite only, concert at the private opening of luxury Dubai hotel, Atlantis The Royal, in January. The criticism emerged due to the United Arab Emirates’ criminalisation of Homosexuality.

Renaissance includes collaborations and samples from artists, such as; Drake, Kelis, Tems, Grace Jones and more.  Popular feel-good anthems ‘’Break my soul’’ and ‘‘Cuff It’‘ both made number one on the Official trending chart.

Many Tik Tok users worldwide, contributed to a dance trend on the platform for the track ‘’Cuff It.’’ The sound for the song on Tik Tok now has over 2 million videos made, using the sound.

Although the song was used and heard millions of times on the Tik Tok app, ‘’Cuff It‘’ didn’t make the top spot in the UK charts and peaked at Number five.

The Renaissance tour will consist of eight UK stadium tour dates. Five of those dates are at the London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The UK tour beings in Cardiff 17 May.

Beyoncé UK Renaissance Tour Dates:

17/05/2023 – Principality Stadium – Cardiff
20/05 – BT Murrayfield Stadium – Edinburgh
23/05 – Stadium of Light – Sunderland
29/05 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London
30/05 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London
01/06 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London
03/06 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London
04/06 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London

Click here to buy tickets for the Renaissance Tour.

However, some key moments took part in this year’s edition. Beyoncé went home that night a different person, having officially won the most grammys in its history with a whopping 32 awards. As well as the Queen of Pop breaking a world record, it was also Hip Hops 50th anniversary, which was commemorated by a combined performance of all of the genre’s most iconic artists. The tribute included appearances from Questlove, Salt N Pepa, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Nelly, Public Enemy and several more.

It was also a big night for Harry Styles. He came out on top with the biggest award of the lot; Best Album of the Year rewarding his release Harry’s House last year. The album, which features the famous single “As It Was”, debuted Number One on the Billboard Charts in 2022 having cherized an introspective input for the workpiece. His third album has been considered the singers best work as a solo musician, delving into multi-genre combinations and unique perspectives. However, it seems to have come as a shock to many that Beyoncé wasn’t the one to go home with that award. It has been the fourth time she has been nominated for said award, yet never found its victory.

As for Adele, this year’s ceremony treated the singer to her 16th Grammy award for best solo pop performance of the song “Easy On Me”. The single forms part of her recently released album 30, her first album since 2015 when she released 25. This was the only award she received that night, but she was also nominated for Best Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of The Year, Record Of the Year and Best Music Video.

Another British icon, The Prince Of Darkness, also took his fair share from the Grammys. After being nominated for four awards he left the party with Best Rock Album of the Year for Patient Number 9 and Best Metal Performance for the song “Degradation Rules”. Patient Number 9 was released in September last year as his thirteenth solo studio album and received very favourable feedback. Ozzy Osbourne hadn’t expected such a response. He mentions in an interview, a month before the awards and after hearing of his nominations; “The whole thing’s shocked me. If I won anything I’d be floored, I mean – that’s what I like about the business, it’s full of surprises”.