Met Gala Protest: Rise And Resist Stages Resistance Red Carpet

Outside the Met Gala, Rise and Resist Stages a “Resistance Red Carpet”

AFixedMoment Photography & Culture — Brooklyn, NYC

Outside the Met Gala, protesters built a red carpet of their own — one made for satire, protest and anti-oligarch theater.

As celebrities arrived for the Met Gala on Monday night, Rise and Resist staged a “Resistance Red Carpet” outside the event, turning fashion spectacle into political performance.

Participants used handmade costumes, fake money, masks, signs and theatrical poses to protest billionaire influence, climate greenwashing, labor abuse and authoritarian politics.

Rise and Resist protester holds a sign reading Bezos greenwashes his climate crimes outside the Met Gala in New York City

Resistance Red Carpet · Outside the Met Gala · May 4, 2026

The protest framed the Met Gala as a symbol of excess, while participants used red carpet theatrics to call attention to climate issues, Amazon labor concerns and tax-the-rich messaging.

Participant in a red robe holds signs reading China May 4 1919 No Emperors and USA May 4 2026 No Kings outside the Met Gala

Participant wears a Tax the Rich costume during the Resistance Red Carpet outside the Met Gala

“The action turned red carpet spectacle into a public critique of wealth, power and image-making.”

Costumed protester wears signs about unsafe working conditions and abuse of warehouse workers outside the Met Gala

Climate, Labor and Wealth

Signs targeted Jeff Bezos, Amazon labor conditions and the concentration of wealth. One costume listed workplace concerns including “unsafe working conditions,” “Abuse of warehouse workers” and “Ergonomic Hazards.”

Other messages read “TAX THE RICH,” “FUCK BEZOS,” “RESIST” and “BEZOS GREENWASHES HIS CLIMATE CRIMES.”

Costumed protester poses beneath signs reading Fuck Bezos, Tax, The Rich and Resist outside the Met Gala

Costume, satire and protest signage shaped the sidewalk action outside the gala.

Money-themed costumed protester with fake bills and silver gloves at the Resistance Red Carpet outside the Met Gala

Performance Protest

Costume became the language of dissent.

Participants posed as billionaires, clowns, masked figures and red carpet guests, using fake cash, veils, boas, cigars and handmade props to satirize elite culture.

The result was part protest, part street theater — and fully aimed at the spectacle unfolding nearby.

Funkybunnynyc performs on a small red carpet during the Rise and Resist protest outside the Met Gala

A Red Carpet Rewritten

Instead of celebrity arrivals, the Resistance Red Carpet centered political messages, handmade fashion and public performance.

The images carry much of the story: anger, humor, craft and theater pressed into one sidewalk protest outside one of New York’s most watched cultural events.