All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

The fashion industry’s biggest night — the Met Gala — is back, celebrating all things style and glamour.

The 2026 Met Gala is set to take place Monday, May 4, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, and will be available to stream live on E!. This year’s theme is “Costume Art,” celebrating the merging of mediums of expression by bringing art off the canvas and mirroring it in a fashion-forward perspective.

2026 Met Gala At a Glance:

You won’t want to miss the attendees this year, given that there are a ton of musicians set to grace the red carpet in their best looks. Beyoncé is one of the gala’s co-chairs alongside former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actress Nicole Kidman and tennis star Venus Williams. Other musicians confirmed to attend include Doja Cat, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, Sam Smith, Sabrina Carpenter and Teyana Taylor, among others. Fans of the annual gala have already begun to buzz about rumored attendees, predicting that big names like BTS, Bad Bunny, Addison Rae, Cardi B and Billie Eilish might attend. Only time will tell.

During the livestream, E! will be enlisting the help of some experts, fashion or otherwise, to take to the carpet to capture must-see moments and break down A-list arrivals’ outfits. This panel of people includes Justin Sylvester, Keltie Knight, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Summer House star Ciara Miller, star of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Bronwyn Newport, Renee Montgomery, Chris Appleton and designer Christian Siriano.

How to Watch Met Gala 2026 Online for Free

As mentioned, the 2026 Met Gala red carpet will be streaming live on Monday, May 4 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Below, we’ll be showing you how to tune into the red carpet online for free.

DIRECTV

DIRECTV offers the E! network in multiple packages; however, the streamer’s CHOICE package is our top pick because it is the best value at $84.99 a month for the first month, down from $94.99. The package comes with 125+ channels, including E!. DIRECTV offers new customers a 5-day free trial, so you can watch the 2026 Met Gala without spending a dime before committing to anything.

Sling

Sling Blue is another option to watch the red carpet event. The service’s pricing starts at $45.99 a month and includes 40-plus channels, including E!. With your subscription, you’ll have access to the show, along with live sports and news. Unfortunately, Sling Blue does not have a free trial option.

Peacock

You can also watch the 2026 Met Gala via Peacock. The platform offers affordable plans starting at just $10.99 a month, or an annual plan for $109.99 a year (which gets you 12 months of streaming for the price of 10). Your subscription will give you access to E!, along with 50 “always-on” curated channels. There are no free trials for new users.

Hulu + Live TV

You can also watch the 2026 Met Gala via Hulu + Live TV, given that E! is included in the live TV channel lineup. The service also offers a three-day free trial to new users. A subscription to the service (with ads) will cost $89.99 per month, while the plan without ads goes for $99.99 per month. Both subscriptions give you access to watch fashion’s biggest night.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

iHeartCountry Festival is back for 2026, returning to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Saturday, May 2.

This year’s country music fest, taking place less than a week after Stagecoach, features a star-studded lineup of performers, including Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey and Lauren Alaina. The festival is hosted by American radio personality and iHeartRadio’s own Bobby Bones. Country musician George Birge was just added as a special guest. Tickets for the festival went on sale to the general public on Jan. 23 via Ticketmaster. Tickets to the festival are still available for purchase.

If you haven’t secured tickets or don’t want to make the trek to Austin, you can still catch the festival on May 2 from the comfort of your own home with a subscription to either Disney+ or Hulu, the official streamers of iHeartCountry Festival. The festival will air live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (7 p.m. CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide.

A standalone subscription to either Disney+ at $12 a month with ads or Hulu at $12 a month with ads will give you access to watch the festival live online. However, a more cost-effective option, overall, is to bundle both streamers together. A bundled subscription gives you both streaming services under one roof at $12.99 a month with ads and $19.99 without ads.

Essentially, you’re getting two streaming services for the price of one. If you choose not to bundle Hulu and Disney+, that’s a whopping $24 with ads. That’s not including pricing of premium subscriptions sans ads.

Fun fact: iHeartCountry Festival has been running annually since 2014. This year marks the festival’s 13th anniversary. Past acts who have graced the festival stage include Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line.

This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin poll — curated with key recommendations by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features a number of new albums including Carlos Vives’ El Último Disco, Vol.1, Chiquis’ Janney and Leslie Grace’s Amor, Quién Eres?.

On his second studio album, a 16-track, innovative pop set dubbed Vulnerable, Más de lo Normal, Marcelo Rubio pours his heart out.

“On a personal level, this album allowed me to be more honest with myself; unlike with my first album, this time around I took a little more time to truly enjoy the process — every step of it, and every word that emerged,” the Venezuelan newcomer and former On the Radar Latin artist tells Billboard. “I was also a bit more open to addressing other themes — topics that perhaps used to intimidate me a little — though, naturally, they were couched in the language of love. I began working on this record when I was at a very low point in my life in terms of mental stability, and I believe it proved immensely beneficial to my personal growth, helping me become the person I aspire to be in the near future.”

Artists such as Cazzu, Carín León, Eladio Carrion and Sech also released new music this week.

The most recent New Music Latin poll was topped by Andreína Bravo’s “Primera Cita” with more than 85% of the vote.

Which release this week do you think is best? Give these new releases a spin and vote for your favorite new Latin music release below.

Editor’s Note: The results of the weekly New Music Latin poll will be posted if the poll generates more than 1,000 votes. This poll closes at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, May 4.

All eyes were on The Beaches when the Toronto act took home the Global Force Award presented by FACTOR at Billboard Women in Music 2026. During the star-studded ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, April 29, in Los Angeles, the group became the first act to receive the accolade. 

“All of the women in this room, we’re so honored to be in your presence. To be representing Canada on a global stage like this is not only an honor, but a dream come true to four Canadian girls,” Jordan Miller said at the podium, alongside bandmates, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel.  
“We’re lucky to have organizations like FACTOR and Billboard to help us along the way, so thank you so much. Finally, to all the women who have helped us get here in our 13-year career, rock music is a particularly male dominated genre,” she continued. “I don’t know if you guys know that, and we’ll never forget all of your help and guidance. I think women are easily overlooked and seen as underdogs, but the reality is that we make some of the coolest art ever and are at the forefront of defining culture at this moment in time.” 

Earlier in the evening, the group took to the red carpet and spoke with Billboard about winning the Global Force Award presented by FACTOR. “We’re so honored and humbled to be here,” Miller told Billboard’s Lyndsey Havens and special co-host Drew Afualo. “This is our first, sort of, American award show, so this really feels really incredibly humbling and, especially, to be here with so many incredibly talented women, it’s a dream come true.” 

The victory comes just a few weeks after the band’s high-energy set at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. It’s just one of the many benchmarks for the foursome in recent years after scoring multiple placements on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts and the U.S. Airplay charts. They’ve also toured vigorously, building their audiences across North America, Europe and Australia. 

“The Beaches represent exactly the kind of Canadian talent that resonates far beyond our borders,” says Mo Ghoneim, President of Billboard Canada and Billboard UK. “At Billboard Canada, our role is not only to spotlight artists at home, but to help create meaningful pathways onto the global stage. Celebrating them at Billboard Women in Music in the U.S. reflects both their undeniable impact and the growing influence of Canadian artists worldwide.” 

Hosted by Keke Palmer, Billboard Women in Music 2026 also celebrated fellow Canadian Tate McRae, who received the Hitmaker Award, as well as Teyana Taylor (Visionary Award), Ella Langley (Powerhouse Award), Kehlani (Impact Award), Laufey (Innovator Award), Mariah the Scientist (Rising Star Award presented by Honda Stage), Zara Larsson (Breakthrough Award), Thalia (Icon Award) and more. 

Click here for more highlights on Billboard Women in Music 2026!