CELEBRITIES

Billboard Music Awards 2016: Rihanna, Ciara, and More on the Red Carpet

by Katherine Cusumano

Billboard Music Awards 2016

The 2016 Billboard Music Awards might be competing for air time with the closing ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival, but the Las Vegas-based event is a whole different animal. Featuring performances by Madonna, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and a whole host of top pop stars, the event offers yet another red carpet challenge for musicians and actors putting in appearances — as if they weren’t already exhausted from the back-to-back run of the spring awards shows, between the Oscars, the Grammys, and the MTV Video Music and Movie Awards. Performers aside, the many Billboard Award finalists will also put their best (-dressed) foot forward in the T-Mobile A rena; The Weeknd leads the count, a finalist for 16 different categories, with Justin Bieber trailing behind in 11 different categories. Unlike other music awards, the Billboard Awards honor chart performance — it’s probably the only show where “Hot 100” is a category for the most serious contenders. (Though, of course, all awards shows do in some way take account of mass popularity.) And in order to match the shiny statues that await, the stars put on their Sunday best in hopes of hearing their names called up to the stage. Here, we’re rounding up the looks from all the biggest names throughout the night, including Britney Spears, Laverne Cox, and more.

1

RIhanna at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

2

Britney Spears in Reem Acra at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

3

Halsey in Fausto Puglisi at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

4

Ciara in Philipp Plein at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

5

RIhanna in vintage Thierry Mugler at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

6

Mila Kunis in Zuhair Murad at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

7

Jessica Alba in Zuhair Murad at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

8

Kristen Bell in Jonathan Simkhai at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

9

Priyanka Chopra at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

10

Lucy Hale in Zuhair Murad at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

11

Kate Beckinsale in Hamel at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

12

DJ Khaled at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

13

Serayah at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

14

Laverne Cox at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

15

Demi Lovato at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

16

Seal at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

17

Heidi Klum at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

18

Kesha at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

19

Ariana Grande at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

20

Zendaya at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

21

Wiz Khalifa at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

22

Kelly Rowland at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

23

Rebecca Romijn at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

24

Britney Spears at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

25

Ciara at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

26

Ciara at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

27

Gwen Stefani at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.