The Met Gala has been postponed

One of the biggest nights on the fashion calendar, the Met Gala, will not go ahead as scheduled on May 4, 2020. The news follows a wave of canceled and postponed cultural events around the world because of coronavirus.

The annual red carpet event, hosted by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, is a celebrity-packed fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since 2005, the event has been held, without fail, on the first Monday in May – it also marks the launch of its spring exhibition.

This year’s exhibition, “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” is sponsored by luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. It has been billed as a journey through the history of fashion from 1870 to the present.

But on Friday the Metropolitan Museum announced it would be shutting its doors temporarily, causing speculation that the gala’s organizers would follow suit. Writing on Vogue.com on Monday, Wintour confirmed that the fundraiser would not be held as planned.

“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,” she wrote, adding that the magazine would nonetheless be previewing the “extraordinary exhibition” in its May issue.

Scroll through the gallery to see other looks from the Met Gala in 2019:

Few stars are better suited to the "camp" theme than Lady Gaga, one of the event's co-hosts, who has a long history of exaggerated and theatrical looks. Much was expected from Gaga -- and she stole the show in a billowing fuchsia gown by Brandon Maxwell, complete with huge train carried by a cohort of tuxedo-wearing, umbrella-wielding men.

Co-host Serena Williams has previously wowed the Met Gala red carpet with gowns by the likes of Oscar de la Renta. This year, she opted for a stunning fluorescent Versace gown -- which she lifted to reveal a pair of similarly bright Nike sneakers, made in collaboration with Off-White.

Harry Styles was announced as the face of Gucci's men's tailoring last year, and he continued his role as brand ambassador by donning a black lace jumpsuit by the label. He paired the flamenco-inspired garment with a pearl earring. Described as the "King of Camp" by Met Gala organizers Vogue, the former One Direction star attended as one of the evening's co-hosts. He is pictured with designer Alessandro Michele.

Whether it's enormous angel wings or a spray-painted dress, Katy Perry always takes the Met Gala theme seriously. And what better motif for her than "camp," a look the singer has embodied on red carpets for more than a decade? Unsurprisingly, Perry went all-out this year, as a life-sized chandelier with electric candles and dripping with crystals, designed by Moschino's Jeremy Scott.

Jared Leto went with himself to this year's Met Gala. Well, sort of. Leto arrived with a mannequin of his head, apparently inspired by Gucci's Fall-Winter 2018 show, where the fashion house sent models down the runway with heads.

Rapper Cardi B showed up to the Met Gala in a dramatic burgundy gown that extended into a full quilted circular train. The dress, which is trimmed in feathers, was designed by Thom Browne. She also has a matching headpiece on to complete the head-to-toe scarlet look. The dress was decorated with 30,000 feathers, and took 35 people more than 2,000 hours to make.

"Pose" star Billy Porter has been the darling of this year's red carpets, having lit up the Oscars and the Golden Globes with his bold fashion choices. He didn't disappoint at the Met Gala, arriving in a chaise carried by six shirtless men. His Ancient Egypt-inspired outfit included a gold jumpsuit with wings by The Blonds.

Celine Dion arrived in an elaborate gown and headpiece by Oscar de la Renta. The label said that it took 52 "master embroiderers" over 3,000 hours to hand-bead the 22-pound dress.

Benedict Cumberbatch, wearing a Labassa Woolfe suit, and Sophie Hunter embraced the "camp" theme in complementary white and pink outfits, respectively.

Ciara stunned on the red carpet with a voluminous hairdo and custom emerald gown, complete with ostrich feathered hem, by Dundas. She accessorized with matching belt, gloves and a choker, as well as a House of Malakai headpiece and footwear by Gianvitto Rossi.

Jennifer Lopez arrived in a Versace gown, complete with a Cleopatra-style headpiece.

Corey Gamble, Kris Jenner, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott pose for a group shot on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ezra Miller arrived on the red carpet wearing a Burberry-designed outfit, which included a white dress shirt and a mask. But all eyes were on Miller, as he removed the mask to reveal a seven-eyed look paired with a black pinstriped suit and an overlaid crystal-studded corset.

Newlyweds Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre on the red carpet just days after tying the knot. Elba wore a Versace glittery suit.

Actress and rapper Awkwafina looked dazzling in a metallic gold Altuzarra dress with exaggerated shoulders.

"The Office" star Mindy Kaling was one of several attendees to wear gold on the red carpet, arriving in a sparkling Moschino dress. She also surprised onlookers with an eye-catching new platinum blonde hairdo.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner in complementary Louis Vuitton outfits.

Last month, Nick Jonas told Entertainment Tonight that his wife Priyanka Chopra would "set the tone" for the pair's Met Gala outfits. The Bollywood star did just that, wowing onlookers in a stunning feather dress by Dior Haute Couture. Jonas complemented the look with silver shoes and a silver shirt peeking out from his Dior Men white suit. The Met Gala has a special place in the pair's romantic history: They made their first public appearance together at the 2017 event, which they attended as guests of Ralph Lauren.

Elle Fanning, wearing Miu Miu, epitomized the "camp" theme with her over-the-top manicure.

Having wowed onlookers at the Met Gala red carpets in 2016 and 2017, Lupita Nyong'o missed last year's event due to clashing commitments at Cannes Film Festival. She returned with a bang this year, sporting a colorful custom Versace outfit paired with Bulgari jewelry.

Laverne Cox in Christian Siriano.

Model Emily Ratajkowski wore a custom nude and silver embroidered cut-out gown by Dundas. She topped off the look with a crystal and feather headpiece by House of Malakai.

At her first Met Gala appearance, Rachel Brosnahan wowed in a long-sleeved pink gown by Erdem.

Actress Zendaya initially appeared to be wearing a black gown. But as she walked up the stairs, her stylist, Law Roach, waved a wand and transformed her Tommy Hilfiger dress into a glowing version of the iconic baby blue gown worn by Cinderella.

Tiffany Haddish turned heads in a sequinned, zebra-striped pantsuit.

Broadway theater-owner Jordan Roth stunned onlookers with this elaborate winged outfit designed by Iris van Herpen.

Saoirse Ronan arrived in a sequined dress by Gucci.

"Crazy Rich Asians" star Gemma Chan poses with Tom Ford, the designer behind her striking embroidered gown with cape and custom headdress.

Darren Criss owned the gala's "camp" theme in an embroidered Balmain number, complete with a bow and theatrical blue eye makeup. "This is one chance I got to go full Duran Duran," he told E! during a red carpet interview.

Cara Delevingne arrived in an eye-catching rainbow dress and outlandish headpiece by Dior Haute Couture.

"Crazy Rich Asians" star Constance Wu channeled old Hollywood glamour with a Marchesa gown.

Dapper Dan, a designer responsible for a number of other stars' Met Gala outfits, arrived himself in custom Gucci.

Hamish Bowles, Vogue's editor-at-large, in a feather-trimmed cape by Maison Margiela.

Gala organizer and Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour kicked off the event in a sequined pink gown and feathered cape by Chanel.

Singer Halsey channeled her inner superhero, pairing a Prabal Gurung-designed red dress with shiny gold cuffs.

Emma Stone, who lit up red carpets during Hollywood's awards season, arrived in a glittery Louis Vuitton pantsuit.

Danai Gurira looked decidedly theatrical in a Gabriela Hearst all-black outfit paired with a top hat and cane.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid walked into the Met Gala on the arm of American fashion designer Michael Kors, wearing a metallic form-fitting catsuit with matching feather cape and headpiece. She accessorized with rose-cut diamond earrings by Lorraine Schwartz, contributing to a total of nearly 90 carats of diamonds.

Miley Cyrus arrived in an emerald minidress by Yves Saint Laurent director Anthony Vaccarello, which she paired with Bulgari jewelery. Husband Liam Hemsworth kept things suave and simple in all-black.

Met Gala regulars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen arrived in co-ordinated black leather outfits.

"Riverdale" stars, and real-life couple, Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart appeared together at the Met Gala's red carpet for the second consecutive year.

Liza Koshy arrived in a bold feathered pink dress by Balmain.

Bee Carrozzini in Alexander McQueen.

Karlie Kloss glitters in a gold dress designed by Dapper Dan for Gucci at the Met Gala.

Sinead Burke sports a black gown with blue bows on the Met Gala red carpet.

Ava DuVernay arrives in an eye-catching green gown by Prada.

Met Gala 2019: See all the red carpet looks

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In a statement sent to CNN on Monday, a museum spokesperson wrote: “The Museum will remain closed through Saturday, April 4. Additionally, the CDC advised over the weekend that there should not be any gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks. In deference to this guidance, all programs and events through May 15 will be canceled or postponed.”

This is not the first time the event has had a change of plans in its 72-year history. There have been years when the gala wasn’t held at all, most notably in 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and in 2002, following 9/11.

With tickets costing upwards of $30,000, the invite-only event offers a significant source of revenue for the museum. According to the New York Times, last year’s gala raised $15 million for the Costume Institute. Neither the museum nor Wintour provided any further details on when the fundraiser might be rescheduled.

This year’s exhibition was due to form part the Met’s wider 150th anniversary celebrations. It was set to feature 160 fashion items, and was scheduled to open to the public from May 7, three days after the gala, until September 7.