The tour will begin with a return to Tampa Bay’s George Steinbrenner Stadium on February 8 and a return visit to the Peoria Sports Center the following weekend. The Bananas will celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Bananas name with opening games in Savannah on February 23 and 24 and the official anniversary date of February 25. The Bananas will also return to Jacksonville, Fresno, Sacramento, Homer City Oklahoma, Durham, Nashville, Indianapolis and Des Moines in 2024.
The Bananas will play on March 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the first MLB stadium. The Bananas will play at six MLB ballparks in total, with other stops including Fenway Park in Boston, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Progressive Field in Cleveland, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Loan Warehouse Park in Miami.
“We continue to think big about Banana Balls and are excited to announce our most ambitious schedule yet,” Bananas owner Jesse Cole said.
“From playing in front of 500,000 fans in 2023 to entertaining more than 1 million fans in 2024, we’re excited to take it to the MLB level, visit some of the most beautiful and iconic ballparks, and watch the party animals become four Headlining news in different cities. The 2024 Banana Ball World Tour will take our young sport to an unprecedented level,” he continued.
The party animals will take over historic Grayson Stadium again in 2024, hosting six games over two weekends. For the first time, they will headline a party extravaganza in Las Vegas, Nevada, Greensboro, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina.
This year’s tour will conclude on October 12 at LoonDepot Park in Miami, followed by 2,500 fans packing their bags for the first-ever Banana Tour at Bananaland at Sea from October 14-18. Fans will come aboard with their favorite Banana Ball characters, players, dancers, performers and mascots.
“We’ve been building Banana Ball since 2018 and set some lofty goals, and while we’ve accomplished so many goals so quickly, it’s disappointing that we’re still in the first inning,” Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum said. Unbelievable.” “2024 will be the next step in building the greatest show in sports. We can’t wait to give fans a show that’s better than ever!”
New for the 2024 Tour will be the 11th Rule of Banana Ball, the Golden Shot Rule. Under this rule, a team can send out any batter in the lineup to hit anywhere during a game.
“The goal of this rule is to allow the best hitters to hit the ball toward the end of the game,” Jesse Cole said. “We believe this will make every game as competitive as possible until the end of the game.” ”
The Bananas will take on their rivals, the Party Animals, and the newest Banana team, the Firefighters. All three team rosters will feature some of the world’s most entertaining and talented players, including former MLB stars and celebrity guests. In 2023, former MLB stars Jake Peavey, Hunter Pence, Johnny Damon, Josh Reddick and Barry Zito all joined the team during the tour.
“I think this year showed people that we’re not just here to have fun, but we can actually play at a very high level,” Bananas infielder Jackson Olson said. “2023 has been life-changing for all of us, but 2024 will be our biggest challenge yet and we are ready.”
When the Savannah Bananas aren’t playing on the road, they play home games at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia, in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,000. Banana games at Grayson Stadium have been sold out for the eighth consecutive year.
For a complete schedule and ticket opportunities, visit www.thesavannahbananas.com/tickets and join the ticket raffle list for a chance to purchase tickets.
