The red carpet at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival; to the left is Rachael Harris
A red carpet is a strip of carpet in the colour red, which is laid out to welcome VIPs such as dignitaries and celebrities at formal events.
The words, "red carpet", may also be part of phrases such as "the red carpet treatment" and "rolling out the red carpet", which refer to any special efforts made in the interests of hospitality. The 20th Century Limited passenger train may be the origin of this phrasing, as the New York Central Railroad used plush crimson carpets to direct people as they boarded.
