Banana Ball is coming back to Kansas City in 2026 — this time featuring a team with deep roots to the city.
The Savannah Bananas announced its 2026 schedule Thursday, Oct. 9, and Kauffman Stadium will once again trade its Royal blue for banana yellow after two sold-out games in 2025. The Bananas will return Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31.
Last year saw the Bananas as the home team, but this time they’ll take the role of the visiting team against one of Banana Ball’s newest teams, the Indianapolis Clowns, in the first year of the Banana Ball Championship League.
When can I get Banana Ball tickets for KC?
Tickets for the fan-centric, fast-paced take on baseball aren’t on sale yet, but fans should sign up for the lottery soon to win the chance to buy tickets.
Sign-ups happen online, and anyone can sign up from now until Friday, Oct. 31. The lottery website says that the date you join the list won’t affect your chances of being selected.
Prices range from $35$60 for regular tickets and $100-$125 for VIB (Very Important Banana) and early entry tickets on the Bananas’ website, and you can only purchase up to five tickets if you are selected. They’ve warned that tickets from third-party sites like StubHub, Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster are often fraudulent and will not be accepted at the event.
Who are the Indianapolis Clowns?
While the Indianapolis Clowns are the newest team to enter the world of Banana Ball, they are no strangers to putting on a show on the diamond. They were one of the last Negro Leagues teams to play after the Negro American League disbanded, continuining as an exhibition team deep into the 1980s.
The Clowns may have served as an inspiration for the Bananas’ style of play. They were the Negro Leagues’ version of the Harlem Globetrotters, according to ESPN, going on barnstorming tours around the country with similar antics performed by the Bananas today.
Players like “Goose” Tatum and Richard “King Tut” King would play with giant gloves, according to Major League Baseball. Pitcher Ed Hamman would throw balls from behind his back or between his legs, and the entire team would turn the game into a new form of baseball called “shadow ball,” where they played the game without any equipment. Baseball Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige also played for the Clowns.
Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in KC, reportedly had a hand in the return of the Clowns, sharing the story of the team with Banana Ball owner Jesse Cole during the Bananas’ first visit to Kansas City in 2022, when they played the Monarchs, another team with Negro Leagues history.\\ “When I first heard the story of the Indianapolis Clowns, I was inspired,” Cole said on the Clowns’ social media accounts. “Partnering with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to bring the Clowns to millions of fans all over the country and preserve their legacy is a dream come true.”
