In 1916, Hey Day was established as a "Moving-Up" celebration to mark the advancement of each class. Through the years, the emphasis of Hey Day shifted from formal assemblies to student celebration, marked by the introduction of the Parade of Classes in 1937 and the incorporation of the Junior Cane March in 1965. In recent decades, Hey Day has represented the official passage of the junior class to senior status and is characterized by thousands of marching students parading around campus and wearing red T-shirts, carrying canes, and biting into fake straw hats.

Did You Know... The Junior Cane March remained a part of Junior Week until 1959, when the traditional Navy football games came to an end. It was then reinstated in 1965, but as a part of Hey Day.