The Savannah Bananas, baseball’s high-energy traveling road show, will return to Busch Stadium for a pair of games in 2026.
The Banana Ball World Tour will stop in St. Louis for games on Aug. 21 and 22, 2026, the team announced Thursday night. The Bananas will play both games against the Loco Beach Coconuts, one of two new teams (along with the Indianapolis Clowns) coming next year to the Banana Ball Championship League, the Bananas’ growing stable of barnstorming baseball showmen.
Banana Ball, the league’s eccentric take on baseball, features several unique rules: a two-hour time limit. No walks. Points instead of runs. A bunt results in an automatic out. A lucky star gets to hit at any time as a “Golden Batter,” and an even luckier fan may get to challenge an umpire’s call on the field.
From dancing outfielders to pitchers on stilts (not to mention the Dad Bod Cheerleading Squad), the game also features an ever-changing series of stunts and jokes to keep fans engaged, entertained — and wanting more.
And it works. The demand for tickets is so high the Bananas must run lotteries in an effort to fairly distribute tickets, which are price-controlled by the team in an effort to make the game more accessible for all fans. This year’s stop in St. Louis featured the most lottery entries of any stop on the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour, with more than 160,000 vying for tickets in just the first three days of the lottery sign-up period.
St. Louis fans interested in the chance to purchase tickets should join the Bananas’ lottery list at bananaball.com/tickets before the entry window closes on Oct. 31. A random drawing will take place about two months before the games to award fans the chance to purchase up to five available tickets, which start at $40. Children younger than 3 get in free.
A separate all-inclusive ticket package, which allows fans an enhanced experience with food and drinks included, can be purchased through the St. Louis Cardinals at cardinals.com/bananas.
The lottery process may seem intense, but the team says it’s the best way to keep fans at the forefront.
“We want to ensure that real tickets are ending up in the hands of real fans,” told the Post-Dispatch in an email earlier this year. “We’re confident that bots and scalpers aren’t able to get their hands on tickets through this verification process.”
The team sold out every game on the 2025 tour, which included more than 2 million fans attending games in 40 cities at several major league stadiums. That will grow to 75 stadiums — including 10 football stadiums and 14 MLB stadiums — across 45 states in 2026, when the Bananas hope to reach more than 3 million fans live.
The 2026 tour should again feature a homecoming for Imperial native Noah Niznik. The pitcher played college ball at Southeast Missouri before getting a call to try out for the Bananas. Niznik made the team and became a star, being named the Bananas’ Rookie of the Year in 2024.
Banana Ball began with the Savannah Bananas summer college league team, before that was folded in favor of full-time Banana Ball in 2022. The team has since expanded to launch its own league — the Banana Ball Championship League — which has grown to include six teams: the Bananas, Coconuts, Clowns and Texas Tailgaters, plus the Firefighters and Party Animals, both also based in Savannah, Georgia.
Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Nathan Mills
Production editor
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today