What is art without an audience? Yesterday afternoon, just a few hours before the Met Gala’s Costume Art-themed red carpet began, I wandered the streets of the Upper East Side with the hopes of running into the youngest and most dedicated fans camping outside. It only took me about three steps before running into about 50 of them behind a metal barricade. A few more steps, and someone asked me if I knew of an afterparty. So, as people online argue over whether the event is still relevant (especially given the reports that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos spent 10 million dollars to sponsor it), why do young people still care about the Met Gala?

To describe the energy outside The Metropolitan Museum and both The Mark and The Carlyle – two of the event’s most popular getting-ready hotels – as chaotic would be an understatement. There were conflicting opinions at every turn. One friend group would tell me they don’t know anything about the Met, but want to see BLACKPINK. Another group (dressed in headpieces that read ‘eat the rich’ and ‘quiet piggy’) were there in protest, saying that they consider the Met taking Jeff Bezos’ money to be “money laundering”.

Despite all the discourse, young superfans were still willing to get outside and wait hours in the pounding sun just for a glimpse of a look through a tinted window – only, for many, it was less about the event itself than it was their favourite celeb. Ahead, we asked the biggest superfans outside The Met who and what they were hoping for.

LOUIS AND RYAN, 19

Louis: “We got to The Carlyle at 2pm. If we are lucky enough, we will see Beyoncé, but I love Anok Yai and want to see anyone who brings happiness to my life. I heard about Jeff Bezos coming, and I’m not too happy about that. He’s not someone most people look up to, but he’s a rich man, and that’s who they’re going to invite. It’s not going to change unless something drastic happens.”

Ryan: “She’s real into this. I’m not as well-versed, but I’m really intrigued by the theme of costume art and what their own spin will be.”

ANGEL, 21 AND ERIN, 22

Erin: “We came here on the Amtrak from DC and Virginia, so we’ve been planning this for months. We literally leave tomorrow, but just being here in the street seeing these beautiful people that I’ve admired throughout the years is genuinely so exciting. I want to see Doja Cat.”

Angel: “Obviously, I’m really excited to see Beyoncé, but also Teyana Taylor and Charli xcx. I love fashion, seeing all the different creations, and seeing all the inspiration that people take and put into their outfits.”

DIAMOND, 18

Diamond: “I’ve been here ten minutes, but I think I might go home. It’s hot, and there’s no way for fans to see the textures on the outfits. I was just checking it out because today’s actually my birthday. I love Zendaya. I love to see the fashion, makeup and the looks.”

MADISON AND KAYLA, 19

Madison: “We’ve been here probably 30 minutes. I’ve been on TikTok deep diving for the past couple of days, looking at videos from last year and asking what time to arrive under the comment sections. A news reporter replied to me, so I know they come out at 4:45pm. I want to see Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé or any of the Kardashians. I saw Kris is here online.”

Kayla: “I didn’t really follow any plan. I just went with what she did because we both go to school together. We took the train here. I’ve never been to the Met, but a lot of my friends from school have. It’s a dream for people to come to New York and see this.”

SHANTY, 20 AND ROSIE, 26

Rosie: ”I’m just in New York for three days because I’m a cabin crew member, so I timed my trip for the Met. I’m waiting to see Lisa.“

Shanty: ”I’ve been here for like three hours. I am just here to see BLACKPINK. If I wanted to see the Met Gala, I’d be outside there and not at The Mark, hoping to see a glimpse of their face when they’re in the car. I want to see all the BLACKPINK members, and I just guessed they might be here.“

AMI, 20, BREEZE, 18 AND NATALIA, 18

Ami: “We’re all fashion students, and we love the Met, so we wanted to see it up close. With the theme this year, we were just talking about bodies, especially with different types of bodies being brought to this new demographic. I thought it was going to be interesting to see people interpret the ideal body because there is no such thing, and we shouldn’t let somebody else tell us what that looks like. So that’s what I came here to stand on.”

Breeze: “The Met Gala is hope. It’s aspirational for me. Before I got into FIT [The Fashion Institute of Technology], I would watch it walking home from school on my phone. I thought, ‘One day, I’ll be there’. We’re in an interesting time in the world right now. The zeitgeist is just so active. I wanted to see how the event would come to life in this political climate.”

Natalia: “I appreciate the community it brings together; so many people sharing a love for art. With that topic, people say it’s dying, so it’s beautiful seeing everyone come together.”

BRU, 24

Bru: “I figured we live in New York, so there’s a small chance to see somebody, anybody. I’m excited to maybe see Rosalia, Pedro Pascal, and Sabrina Carpenter. I’ve been going to the Met a lot over the past few months because we have a class over there, so I’m into it more for the art aspect.”

LILY, 19 AND GENEVIEVE, 22

Lily: ”I’m not going to lie, I stay in my dorm a lot and am like, ‘Are all these free things worth it?’ It’s definitely worth it. It’s a way to showcase more avant-garde fashion. And I feel like we don’t have too many opportunities to just focus on that.”

Genevieve: ”I’m from Texas. I feel like, since moving to New York, I’m always looking for different events, but I never really go to them. Every year for the past three years, the Met is around finals time, so I’ll be studying, and just prop my phone up and turn on a live to judge the outfits, like I’m some kind of expert. My friend wanted to come here, and I thought, ‘Why not?’”