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It's the most famous carpet in the world.

The crimson-coloured walkway, otherwise known as the red carpet, is a familiar sight to us all. The prestigious floor covering is first and foremost associated with Hollywood glamour, but nowadays, any glitzy party or high profile event is likely to have a red carpet rolled out.

None, however, come quite as big as the Oscars.

The idea of the red carpet actually stretches back to 458 B.C. in the Aeschylus play Agamemnon, in which Agamemnon's vengeful wife Clytemnestra tricks him by rolling out a crimson carpet for when he returns home whereby he soon comes to a sorry end after walking on it.

But it was in 1922 that the red carpet was popularised by theatre impresario Sid Grauman for the premiere of Robin Hood at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. By 1961, the red carpet made its debut at the Oscars – and it's been part of the furniture ever since.

All eyes will be on the 50,000 sq ft red carpet for the 91st Academy Awards on Monday 25 February at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It's probably the most famous carpet in the world.

And, rather unsurprisingly, a carpet of this size doesn't come cheap, with an estimated cost of $24,700 (£17,900), according to reports. And remember, that's just for the carpet – it does't even include the set up costs.

American Turf & Carpet, a division of Signature Systems Group, have been installing the Oscars red carpet since 2008. It takes a crew of about 18 workers nearly 900 man-hours to install around 30 rolls of carpet.

But that's not their only job – on the night they'll ensure the carpet shines (with vacuums at the ready) and that no A-listers trip on the carpet.

LA Times profiled Signature Systems Group in 2017, revealing that the carpet is closer to burgundy but is an exclusive shade — called Academy Red. It's a shade that is said to flatter the A-listers. 'A secret colour, one whose precise specifications the show's organisers won't reveal for fear of copycats,' the publication said.

The red carpet is fabricated from nylon at a mill in Dalton, Georgia, which is apparently known as the 'Carpet Capital of the World', and the carpet is only 'used once and destroyed, in an undisclosed manner, after the show,' revealed LA Times.

But guess what? Security is also in place to stop people from stealing a swatch of the carpet, which could be used to fabricate a copy or even be sold as a collector's item.

Joe Lewis, an associate producer of the arrivals at the Oscars, told the publication: 'I know that people have taken hunks out of the carpet in the past. You could put it on eBay.'

Fancy getting the same look but for much, much less? It's time to roll out the red carpet in your own home. Party pieces is selling a 15ft red carpet floor runner for £6.99 which is great for any Hollywood or movie-themed parties you're planning to host. Similarly, Wayfair is selling a version suitable for both indoors and outdoors for £35.99. Alternatively, you can buy this stain resistant plain red runner in a range of sizes from Carpet Runners UK, with prices starting from £8.