New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has confirmed he will not attend the 2026 Met Gala, breaking a longstanding tradition of New York City mayors participating in the annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The decision, first reported by Page Six and later confirmed by CBS News New York, marks a departure from recent precedent, as both his predecessor Eric Adams and former mayors Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg have attended the event in recent years.
Mamdani’s office did not issue a formal statement, but multiple sources told Page Six that the mayor declined the invitation due to the event’s association with extreme wealth, particularly given that this year’s gala is being co-chaired by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, whose involvement has drawn attention due to their status as some of the world’s wealthiest individuals. According to CBS News, Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were both invited but chose not to attend.
The Met Gala, held annually on the first Monday in May, is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events in the global fashion calendar. In 2025, individual tickets cost $75,000, while tables for multiple guests started at $350,000, according to CBS News reporting. The event raises funds for the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Met, and the 2026 exhibition is titled “Costume Art,” which will influence the evening’s dress code. This year’s co-chairs likewise include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, alongside Anna Wintour, who has served as chair since 1995.
Mamdani’s political platform has centered on addressing New York City’s affordability crisis, with proposals including free public buses and expanded childcare, funded in part by increased taxes on billionaires and large corporations. His decision to skip the gala aligns with this messaging, as noted by a source quoted in Page Six who said, “He’s not coming… And it would be foolish if he did … can you imagine? It goes against everything he believes in.” A New York socialite quoted in the same report expressed a contrasting view, saying, “It’s such a New York institution. I feel he should go. It’s a very New York moment.”
The mayor’s stance reflects a broader tension between civic leadership and participation in high-profile, wealth-intensive cultural events. While past mayors have used the platform to produce symbolic gestures—such as Eric Adams wearing a jacket reading “End gun violence” in 2022 and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing a “Tax the Rich” gown in 2021—Mamdani’s absence underscores a different approach: declining participation altogether. The House Ethics Committee later found that Ocasio-Cortez had “impermissibly accepted gifts” related to her 2021 Met Gala appearance and ordered her to pay an additional $2,700 for the dress, though this finding does not apply to Mamdani’s decision.
As of now, We find no indications that Mamdani plans to attend future iterations of the event, and his office has not signaled any shift in position. The 2026 Met Gala is scheduled for May 4, 2026, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. No further official comments have been released by the mayor’s office regarding the decision.
For ongoing updates on New York City municipal affairs and cultural events, readers can follow official announcements from the NYC Mayor’s Office and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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