At the Oscars last night, something was different for the first time in decades: the red carpet wasn’t red, it was champagne. The reason for this was because when celebrities arrive at the Oscars and walk the red carpet, it’s usually the middle of the day. This created a disconnect between the elegant evening ceremony and guest arrival time. To fix this, the team who plans the carpet event covered the carpet with a saffron colored tent to block the sun and change the color of the carpet to contrast.
Though the Oscars weren’t the first award show to use a red carpet, it’s been a staple of the ceremony since it first appeared in 1961. At the time, only people in attendance could see it because the show was still broadcast in black and white. It wasn’t until 1966 when the Oscars were first televised in color that viewers could see it, and since then the red carpet quickly became a staple. It’s been used at every Academy Award Show since - until last night.