MET Gala 2020 postponed
The Met Gala won’t happen on the first Monday in May this year.
As the United States continues to implement unprecedented precautionary measures amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue‘s annual fashion event would be postponed indefinitely as a result of new CDC guidelines.
According to a Met spokesperson, the news was announced in an internal memo sent to Met staffers this afternoon. The museum decided that “in deference to this guidance, all programs and events through May 15 will be canceled or postponed,” including the Gala, Vogue reports. In addition, the Met “will remain closed through Saturday, April 4 .”
“One day that will not arrive on schedule will be the opening of the Costume Institute’s exhibition, About Time,” Wintour said. “Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will be postponed to a later date. In the meantime, we will give you a preview of this extraordinary exhibition in our forthcoming May issue.”
The first Met Gala was held in 1948 as a benefit dinner, and was not pegged to a particular exhibition. From 1948 to 1971, it was held offsite at the Waldorf Astoria or the Rainbow Room, according to CNN. It was canceled in 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and again in 2002, following the 9/11 attacks.
As of Sunday, March 15, the Center of Disease Control made an unprecedented recommendation, advising canceling or postponing in-person events with more than 50 people for eight weeks throughout the United States.
“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities,” the CDC said in a statement. “Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.”
“This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus,” they added.
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