Local students examine the concept art and model for The Brick-Changer float at Studio Day 2019.
Studio Day, also referred to as Press Day, is an event held at the Macy's Parade Studio the Tuesday before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in order to give the press a sneak peak at the brand-new floats and specialty units for the upcoming Parade. Macy's works with local New Jersey schools to visit the Parade Studio for an educational and fun-filled day touring the facility to learn about the engineering behind the Parade. The event is invitation-only.
Models and concept art of the new balloons are also displayed at Studio Day, with costumed characters representing the several new elements greeting and taking pictures with attendees.
The first known Studio Day was held in 1984, where floats such as Rose Petal Place and Disneyland Celebration made their premiere appearance. In the 1990s, balloons began being inflated inside of the Parade Studio as decorations for Studio Day, generally novelty balloons such as the Macy's Stars and Ornament balloons. Nowadays, smaller star-shaped inflatables and balloons make appearances.
The 2020 Studio Day was unable to take place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Macy's instead filmed b-roll of that year's newest floats and distributed it to news stations. It was later held in both 2021 and 2022 without any touring from schoolchildren, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
See also[]
- Macy's Balloonfest, an event that features each year's newest balloons.