Met Gala 2026 After-Parties Bring Cardi B, Kendall Jenner and More Across New York

The 2026 Met Gala did not end when guests left the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After the May 4 benefit for the museum’s Costume Institute, celebrities, models, musicians and actors continued the evening at after-parties across New York City, turning the post-gala circuit into another stage for fashion.

According to the source material, several guests who prepared at The Mark Hotel, including Cardi B, Hudson Williams and Ashley Graham, were seen leaving the hotel before heading to late-night events. The report also noted that attendees at the hotel were offered chicken tenders and French fries from a branded food cart in the lobby before continuing their evening.

One of the main destinations was Saint Laurent’s post-Met Gala party at People’s bar in Greenwich Village, where a number of stars gathered after the official event.

A second act for Met Gala fashion

The Met Gala is one of the fashion industry’s most closely watched annual events. It raises funds for the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and is known internationally for its red carpet, celebrity guest list and theme-driven styling.

This year’s gala theme was “Costume Art,” with a “Fashion Is Art” dress code, according to the source. That idea carried into the after-parties, where several attendees changed into new looks that still reflected the night’s artistic direction.

Ashley Graham reportedly changed from the nude-toned DiPetsa gown she wore to the gala into a Jean Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 1999 dress featuring statue imagery. Hunter Schafer, who had worn a custom Prada look inspired by Gustav Klimt’s painting Mäda Primavesi, later appeared in a shorter Steve O. Smith dress for the Saint Laurent event.

Cardi B, Kendall Jenner and Olivia Rodrigo among the names spotted

The report listed a wide range of celebrities and public figures across the evening’s after-party scene.

Cardi B was among those seen departing The Mark Hotel. Kendall Jenner was also named among the attendees at Saint Laurent’s event, where the model reportedly changed out of her gala look into a sleek bodycon style.

Olivia Rodrigo also attended the Saint Laurent party, according to the source material, which noted that she was not part of the official gala and arrived after her Saturday Night Live hosting appearance.

Other names mentioned in the report included Hailey Bieber, A$AP Rocky, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, Lisa of Blackpink, Tessa Thompson, Maude Apatow, Misty Copeland, Irina Shayk, Joe Burrow, Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner.

The source also highlighted appearances by Hudson Williams and Aika Flores, Connor Storrie, Sombr and Odessa A’zion, Lux Pascal, Vittoria Ceretti and Laura Harrier.

Co-chairs and family appearances inside the gala

Earlier in the evening, the official Met Gala brought together high-profile co-chairs Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Nicole Kidman, according to the source material.

The report said Venus Williams attended with her husband, Andrea Preti. Nicole Kidman was joined by her 17-year-old daughter Sunday Rose, while Beyoncé attended with Jay-Z and their 14-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

The source noted that the daughters’ attendance appeared to be an exception to the event’s reported age guideline, which it said generally limits guests to those 18 and older. That detail has not been independently verified here and should be understood as part of the original report’s account.

Fashion as performance beyond the red carpet

The after-parties underscored how the Met Gala has become more than a single red-carpet event. For international audiences, the night functions as a global fashion showcase, a celebrity gathering and a major cultural moment for luxury brands, designers and entertainment figures.

The official gala may take place inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the wider spectacle continues across New York through hotel departures, designer-hosted parties and carefully planned second looks.

For many attendees, the after-party circuit offered another opportunity to interpret the theme, shift the mood and keep the conversation around fashion moving well beyond the museum steps.