5 rules Met Gala 2024 attendees must follow

Every year, on the first Monday of May, famed celebrities gather for the "biggest party" of the year, the Met Gala. Some of the biggest names in the industry are invited to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as they pose on the iconic Met steps before making their way to the gala.

Essentially, the event is an art exhibition set up to raise money for the museum's costume institute and marks the opening of the annual fashion exhibition. While fans are aware of the general itinerary of the event, only those who attend the Met Gala know exactly what happens inside closed doors as the event follows strict rules to ensure exclusivity.

Everyone who attends must follow five strict rules while at the venue, including the limitation of using their phones.

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No phones, no smoking, and more rules Met Gala attendees abide by

The Met Gala 2024 is just around the corner as it is set to take place on Monday, May 6, 2024. The event will see star-studded faces and famous personalities as they dress up according to this year's theme, The Garden of Time.

To get through the event without being in Anna Wintour's bad books, the attendees must follow certain rules.

1) No phones allowed

The rule was implemented to ensure that the event follows a traditional dinner party approach where people interact with one another. The guests receive a notice beforehand, informing them of the rule.

As per Glam, Sylvana Ward Durrett explained the reasoning behind the rule and said:

"Anna is sort of an old-school traditionalist. She likes a dinner party where people are actually speaking to each other."

She further said that while waiters don't hover over the guests, they are told to sneakily monitor phone usage and often remind the attendees if they violate them.

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2) No smoking

A legislation to ban smoking in bars was signed in 2002 in New York and at beaches and public spaces in 2021. However, during the Met Gala in 2017, several celebrities were photographed smoking inside the museum, which didn't sit well with donors. Following several complaints, the planning committees made it a strict rule. The rule was also then included in the invitations.

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3) Strict seating charts

The Met Gala follows strict seating arrangements that all guests must abide by. In The First Money in May, a documentary about the Met Gala, Sylanna Ward Durret explained:

"A lot of thought goes into who sits next to who, if they sat together last year, if they've sat next to each other at other events, so much goes into it, it's shocking."

While in conversation with the New York Post, former head of events at Vogue, Stephanie Wolkoff, explained that for Anna Wintour, it was not about "a pretty face." She said that the Met Gala was all about what one has to talk about and how one can hold a conversation. She also revealed that spouses are never seated next to one another.

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4) Attendees must be 18 or above

The Met Gala has a strict age policy and celebrities under the age of 18 are not allowed to attend the grand event. The organizers of the event do not believe the event is appropriate for minors since it displays expensive art pieces.

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5) No garlic, no onion, no parsley

The event does not serve certain types of food. After red carpet and cocktail hour, the star-studded guest list sits down for dinner, but their food is prepared without garlic, onion, and parsley. This is to ensure that guests don't have bad breath or get ingredients stuck in their teeth.

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Met Gala 2024 will take place on Monday, May 6, 2024 and will be available to stream on Vogue and it's streaming partners.