The Met Gala has officially been cancelled

met ball
(Image credit: 2019 Patrick McMullan)

Remember when we told you that the Met Gala had been postponed, and that while people waited for a new date, they made their own gowns as part of the Met challenge on the day that was meant to host the event?

Well we have some slightly bad news: it's official, the event has been downright cancelled for this year.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which hosts the event to tie in with their new fashion exhibition every year, announced via Vogue that 2020's event was completely cancelled 'due to the global health crisis'.

However there is some good news, the corresponding exhibition, About Time: Fashion and Duration, will still be taking place, and it's a milestone one as it celebrates the Met's 150th anniversary.

It will be slightly delayed though to make sure the museum has plenty of time to re-open (the museum has announced this will be mid-August), and will be held between 29th October until 7th February 2021.

Met president Daniel H. Weiss told the publication, 'The Met has endured much in its 150 years and today continues as a beacon of hope for the future. This museum is also a profound reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of art to offer comfort, inspiration, and community. As we endure these challenging and uncertain times, we are encouraged by looking forward to the day when we can once again welcome all to enjoy the Met’s collection and exhibitions.'

This isn't the first time that the Met Gala has been cancelled though, as it didn't happen in both 1963 and 2002, following President Kennedy's assassination and the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.