In what year did the first Met Gala take place?

The first Met Gala took place in 1948.

The event was established as a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, then known as the Museum of Costume Art. Fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert organized the first gala, which took place in December at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

Unlike the modern event, the inaugural gala was a midnight supper and did not center on a highly publicized museum red carpet. Over later decades, the benefit became tied to the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition and opening celebration. Its guest list, ticket prices and media attention expanded substantially.

The year 1948 is sometimes confused with 1946, when the Costume Institute became part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those are separate milestones: the institute joined the museum in 1946, while the fundraising gala began two years later.