Why is the Oscars carpet not red? What colour is 2023 Academy Awards runway

The Oscars famous red carpet has been given a major make-over for this year’s ceremony.

Eagle-eyed watchers will be quick to spot that the most obvious change will be the colour. For 2023 the carpet will not be red.

It is the first time in six decades that the Academy Awards will not be rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood’s best and brightest. The ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (12 March) - for watchers in the UK it will begin in the early hours of Monday (13 March).

Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAO), All Quiet on the Western Front and Banshees of Inisherin have been tipped to perform well at the 2023 ceremony. A24’s heartfelt action sci-fi hit, EEAO, is the heavy favourite to scoop the Best Film gong.

For more indepth coverage of the Oscars throughout the weekend visit our sister site PeopleWorld. They already got a deep dive into Speilberg’s history in the Oscars.

But why is the red carpet being changed in 2023? Here is all you need to know:

What colour is the red carpet at the 2023 Oscars?

The famous red carpet has remained the same colour at the Academy Awards since 1961, but for this year’s ceremony it will be “champagne” coloured. It is quite the radical change but is part of a bid to make the celebrity arrivals more “lux”, according to Academy CEO Bill Kramer.

ABC Chicago reports that there will be red drapes on all sides in contrast to the champagne carpet. Kramer explained: “We chose this beautiful sienna, saffron color that evokes the sunset, because this is the sunset before the golden hour.”

The idea came from creative consultants Raúl Vila, the creative director for the glamorous Met Gala in New York, and Lisa Love, a longtime Vogue contributor.

How can you watch the “red” carpet?

Sky Showcase and Sky News will also be broadcasting the Oscars Red Carpet Live from 11pm, giving viewers the chance to watch the nominees arrive ahead of the evening’s celebrations.

What time are the Oscars and how to watch

The 95th Academy Awards kick off at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET in the US, or 12am GMT in the UK. Fans can watch an edited compilation of highlights on Monday evening on Sky Cinema at 7 p.m. and Sky Showcase, Sky Max and Sky Arts at 8 pm.

In the UK, the Oscars will be broadcast live on four channels: Sky News, Sky Cinema, Sky Arts, and Sky Showcase. Coverage will begin at 12am on each channel, with Alex Zane joined by a panel of celebrities and movie experts to provide analysis throughout the evening. In the US, you’ll be able to watch the Oscars on their traditional ABC home.

For viewers in the UK with Freeview, you can watch the ceremony on Sky Arts which will be available to non-Sky subscribers. The last time the Oscars were on free to air television in the UK was 2003, when they were broadcast on the BBC.

Sky Arts is Channel 11 on Freeview, and Channel 123 on Virgin Media. The Oscars can also be streamed on NowTV by subscribers.