Jump On The Brandwagon — Canva Brings Creative Energy to NYC During AdWeek 2025 & Beyond

This week, Herald Square transformed into a hub of creativity as Canva's iconic Brandwagon rolled into New York City for Advertising Week. The brightly wrapped tour bus turned heads October 6-7, offering advertisers and marketers a hands-on experience with the platform's latest tools and capabilities.

A Mobile Design Studio in the Heart of Manhattan

The Brandwagon activation was impossible to miss in Herald Square, where Canva set up shop from 10 AM to 5 PM each day right outside of the iconic Macy's Herald Square. Rather than a traditional booth experience, the colorful bus served as a fully equipped mobile design studio, bringing Canva's creative tools directly to AdWeek 2025 attendees.

The activation was part of Canva's ambitious World Tour — a month-long global movement spanning 40+ cities across 31 countries and five continents throughout October. With over 250 workshops planned worldwide, Canva is on a mission to teach one million people design skills this month alone.

What Went Down at Herald Square

Attendees who stopped by the Brandwagon experienced:

Hands-On Workshops: Live training sessions focused on creating high-impact campaigns and mastering tools that make content "impossible to scroll past." Canva experts led participants through real-time design challenges, helping marketers level up their creative skills on the spot.

Product Sneak Peeks: The Brandwagon showcased capabilities across Canva's Visual Suite, giving attendees early looks at next-generation design tools, collaboration features, and AI-powered capabilities that are reshaping how teams create content at scale.

Community Connections: Beyond just learning tools, the activation fostered real connections between creators. With outdoor screens and collaborative workstations, attendees could see their designs come to life while networking with fellow marketers and advertisers.

Design Certifications: Participants had the opportunity to earn professional credentials through Design School courses, including popular tracks like "Work smarter with AI," "Meet Canva's Visual Suite," and "Create scroll-stopping content."

Why It Matters for Marketing Teams

The timing of the Brandwagon during Advertising Week was strategic. As AdWeek 2025 brought together changemakers across marketing, media, tech and culture at The Penn District, Canva positioned itself as the accessible solution for enterprise-level creative work.

For marketing professionals navigating an increasingly visual-first digital landscape, the message was clear: powerful design shouldn't require a design degree. With 240 million monthly users globally, Canva continues to democratize creativity for everyone from small business owners to Fortune 500 marketing departments.

The Bigger Picture

The NYC stop was just one chapter in Canva's larger October story. The Brandwagon is crisscrossing the United States — from Austin to Seattle, San Francisco to New York — turning plazas, campuses and community spaces into temporary design festivals.

Meanwhile, Canva offices in Sydney, London, Vienna, Prague and Manila are hosting Hub events with interactive learning labs and design challenges. Community Labs are bringing localized workshops to over 50 locations across Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

It all builds toward the crescendo: a major keynote and product launch on October 30, broadcasting live from Canva's Sydney headquarters. The company promises their biggest product reveal yet, with features users have been requesting for years, so you may want to hop on the Brandwagon and register for the livestream.

The Takeaway

The Brandwagon at AdWeek NYC exemplified Canva's approach to democratizing design: meet people where they are, make creativity accessible and turn learning into an experience worth sharing. For the advertisers and marketers who stopped by Herald Square this week, it was more than a product demo — it was an invitation to reimagine how their teams create, collaborate and communicate visually.

If you missed the Brandwagon in NYC, you can still join the movement. Canva's World Tour continues throughout October with both in-person events and free online workshops through Design School. Because as Canva proves, inspiration can, and should be sparked anywhere.

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The Canva World Tour runs through October 30, 2025, with events happening globally. Learn more at canva.com/canva-world-tour.