Banana Ball coming to Kenan Stadium in April

By R.L. Bynum

Banana Ball is coming to Chapel Hill, but not to Boshamer Stadium.

The Savannah Bananas baseball team, which has appeared multiple times at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, will make its first visit to a Triangle area football stadium when it comes to Kenan Stadium on April 11 and 12 to face the Texas Tailgaters.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the world-famous Savannah Bananas to Chapel Hill,” Deputy Athletic Director Rick Barakat said. “Combining the Bananas’ innovation and excitement with the storied tradition of Kenan Stadium will create an unforgettable experience for fans across the state and beyond. The Bananas have redefined fan engagement in sports, and we can’t wait to see them take the field on campus at UNC this spring.”

Fans must join a ticket lottery list by Oct. 31, and can do that here.

Other football stadiums on the tour will Texas A&M’s Kyle Field on May 2, Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium on May 12, Nebraska’s Memorial Field on June 13, Oregon’s Autzen Stadium on June 27–28, Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium on July 3–4 and the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium on Aug. 26–28.

Earlier this year in late April, the Bananas played at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

A Savannah Bananas game feels more like a party than a traditional baseball game, complete with comedy and strange rules.

Fans are greeted with music, dancing, and costumed performers. The players aren’t just athletes, they’re entertainers. They dance between innings, joke with fans, and pull off stunts. The umpires might break into a moonwalk, and the coaches could be dressed like cowboys or superheroes.

The game itself follows “Banana Ball” rules, designed to keep things fast and fun: no bunting, no walks, and if a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out.