Go Bananas, Knoxville: Banana Ball is returning to Covenant Health Park in 2027.
The Indianapolis Clowns and Texas Tailgaters will play June 4-5 at the Old City ballpark, the fan-favorite entertainment tour announced Oct. 15. It will be Banana Ball’s second trip in as many years to Covenant Health Park, home of the Knoxville Smokies.
While the Savannah Bananas, the most famous squad in the six-team Banana Ball Championship League, aren't scheduled to appear in Knoxville, the Scruffy City will still get two nights of a-peeling action.
Game times have not yet been announced.
It's not uncommon for the other teams in the league to play at stadiums that are smaller than the college football cathedrals and professional venues they regularly sell out. The Indianapolis Clowns, who joined the league with the Loco Beach Coconuts as part of a 2026 expansion, took on the Party Animals earlier this year at AutoZone Park in Memphis.
Bringing Banana Ball back to Knoxville
Banana Ball drew more than 100,000 fans to two Knoxville venues earlier this year, starting with Covenant Health Park on May 21 before the Bananas drew a capacity crowd at Neyland Stadium two days later.
The Tailgaters, who joined the Bananas universe when the league expanded to four teams in 2025, faced off against Savannah during Banana Ball's Knoxville debut in 2026.
A year and a half of conversations, thousands of contacts, a shifted homestand and an emotional appeal to the Bananas' owners went into convincing the wildly popular team to play in Knoxville's new stadium, Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas told Knox News in May.
The Smokies' stadium, which seats 6,335 people, drew a then-record crowd of 7,032 people for the event.
"Once they realized how important Covenant Health Park was to the deal," Bumpas said, "they totally adapted and were on board and, I think, very happy with their decision because the Covenant Health show was awesome and they had a great time there."
Where to buy Banana Ball tickets
Fans must visit bananaball.com and join the lottery list to have a chance to purchase tickets.
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at subscribe.knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Banana Ball is making a ripe return to Knoxville for two nights in 2027