The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) main ceremony typically runs about three hours , not counting the red carpet and pre-show coverage.

Quick Scoop: How Long Are the VMAs?

  • The main live VMAs broadcast usually starts at 8 p.m. ET and is scheduled to end around 11 p.m. ET.
  • There’s often a pre-show/red carpet that begins about 1.5–2 hours earlier (commonly around 6:30 p.m. ET), with performances and interviews.
  • The ceremony is known to run a bit overtime , sometimes by 15–30 minutes, especially in years with big surprise moments or long speeches.
  • Recent and upcoming editions (2023, 2024, 2025) are all described as roughly three-hour events , confirming this is the modern norm.

So if you’re planning your night, budget around three hours for the main show , and closer to four and a half to five hours if you want to catch the pre-show plus any overrun. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.