Zohran Mamdani plans to break long-standing NYC mayoral Met Gala tradition

We're just a few weeks away from one of the biggest events in fashion all year, the Met Gala.

This year, the Met Gala will be held on Monday, May 4, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with the theme listed as 'Costume Art', with a dress code of 'Fashion is Art'.

Fans are looking forward to seeing what the star-studded guest list attendees wear for the highly publicised occasion, but there will be two notable absences.

New York City's mayor, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, and first lady Rama Duwaji have reportedly declined their invitation to this year's gala, which is subsidised by billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez-Bezos.

"He’s not coming," a source reportedly told Page Six. "And it would be foolish if he did … can you imagine? It goes against everything he believes in."

According to the outlet, 'a well-placed New York socialite' added: "It’s such a New York institution. I think he should go. It’s a very New York moment."

NYC mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has declined his Met Gala invite (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

On Thursday (16 April), Mamdani confirmed that the mayor confirmed to news outlet Hell Gate that he and his wife were planning to skip the event, framing his absence as a way to keep his focus on 'affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable'.

Tyla has reached out to Zohran Mamdani's representatives for further comment.

Many NYC mayors have attended the annual gala, including Eric Adams in 2022, Bill de Blasio in 2021 and Mike Bloomberg throughout his term.

Mamdani has previously made his stance on billionaires abundantly clear.

"I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country," he said during his campaign, which was centred around affordability.

Mamdani has previously shared his stance on the ethics of billionaires (Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images)

The 34-year-old mayor has also previously made statements on economic inequality and wanting to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest.

Earlier this week (15 April), Mamdani shared a 'tax the rich' social media video all about the start of a new annual fee for luxury properties.

Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich. pic.twitter.com/Wky2LFXC9W

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) April 15, 2026

The footage saw Mamdani reveal he had secured a 'pied-a-tierre' tax on luxury second homes that aren’t lived in full-time, affecting the 'richest of the rich' whose wealth is 'stored' in Big Apple real estate despite them not actually living full-time in the city.

"This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live full-time in the city," Madani explained.

He captioned the video: "Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich."

The 2026 Met Gala will be co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. Alongside the main co-chairs, the event features a Host Committee led by Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz

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