What Exactly is the Met Gala?

For the majority of us, the Met Gala is just another excuse for celebrities to parade around in their grandest attires, battling one another to see who can slay the hardest.Though there is some truth to this, the famous Met Gala isn't as shallow as it appears.

A lot of us don't know that the Gala, more formally known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit , is actually one of the biggest celebrity fundraising events , geared at raising money for the Costume Institute which is the only one of the Met’s departments that has to fund itself. The huge event is held on the first Monday in May and has been dubbed “the Oscars of the East Coast”.

This year's theme is “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an A ge of T echnology,” and will explore the overlap between man- and machine-made fashion. It's traditional for guests to wear looks that reflect the theme, which means that we can expect to see plenty of futuristic looks on the red carpet.

As always, however, there'll be a handful of celebs who completely ignore the theme, and another handful who go completely crazy with it. Which of course makes it that more exciting to watch.

The hosts are Anna Wintour, chairwoman of the gala; Jonathan Ive, chief design officer of Apple; Taylor Swift; and actor Idris Elba.

Big Meal Ticket. Though the celebs on the guest list don't have to pay to attend, the rest of the attendees have to pay over $25,000 each to eat among the stars...That's a hefty tab

It’s a secret! Since last year, posting on social media has been banned after the red carpet. What I can tell you is this: There is a receiving line inside with all the hosts, and guests have to file by and air-kiss them; then they tour the exhibit on their way to the cocktail party, so they are at least theoretically forced to see the culture. After cocktails, they are called in to dinner, and there is always some form of entertainment (last year, it was Rihanna; the year before, Frank Ocean). This is good, because as the red carpet part of the evening has become a giant marketing event, the fact that the main part of the event is private allows guests to relax and have fun. NYT

Where to Watch. Typically, the Met Gala's red carpet can only be experienced via social media or from photo galleries circuated via social media the next morning. But this year, for the first time ever, E! News will air live coverage from the event's red carpet.

E! News' red carpet pre-show will air at 7 p.m., followed by red-carpet fashion at 7:30!

Check out some of my fave looks from some of the past Met Gala's below!