I have a problem with the 2027 Banana Ball schedule.
I keep finding another trip I want to take.
Mexico sounds pretty good. So does Hawaii. There’s Chicago, there’s a game practically in my backyard in Seattle, and there’s still Savannah, which I have somehow managed to write about extensively without actually visiting.
Kristin, my wife, is probably going to want to have a conversation about this.
But before any of us start turning a schedule into a vacation calendar, there’s a question worth asking: What do you want out of your Banana Ball trip?
Maybe you want to see the Savannah Bananas specifically. Maybe your kid follows a Party Animals player. Maybe you want a photo, an autograph and a chance to tell somebody that the ridiculous thing they did in a video made your entire week.
Those are different reasons to go. They should influence which game you choose.
After attending games around the country and talking with people inside and around Banana Ball, I’ve become increasingly interested in what happens between the big moments. The scoreboard matters. So does the interaction somebody remembers after they’ve forgotten the score.
The ticket is the first challenge
Supriya Christopher of Visit Savannah remembers when seeing the hometown team required considerably less planning.
“When I first came to Savannah six years ago, moved here permanently, you could just buy a ticket,” she told me.
Her experience today is different.
“Now you really have to either get lucky, win the lottery,” she said, explaining that she sometimes attends through tickets available at work.
That’s a resident describing the change she has watched firsthand. It also explains why I would put ticket planning ahead of the rest of a Banana Ball vacation.
Start with the official Banana Ball ticket help center. It connects fans with lottery information, purchasing instructions, the Fans First Marketplace and account support.
Before paying for a trip, make sure you understand what you have: an interest-list registration, an opportunity to purchase or an actual ticket. Those are different stages.
My approach would be to secure the game first, then build around it. If you reserve a hotel while waiting, read the cancellation terms carefully and decide whether you would still enjoy that destination without the game.
That last question is especially relevant to Savannah.
Why I still want to see Banana Ball in Savannah
I’ve watched Banana Ball in big venues. What I haven’t experienced yet is its home at Grayson Stadium.
Christopher has.
“In Grayson Stadium, it’s also a smaller stadium. So you feel this intimate feeling,” she told me.
Then she shared a story about attending a game with her husband. A ball reached their group, and he caught it in his hand. Afterward, she said, he gave it to a little boy nearby.
That’s the sort of detail I like asking about in interviews. You start with tourism, hotels and the growth of a city, and eventually somebody tells you about a kid getting a baseball.
It makes the whole conversation more interesting.
Christopher also offered a useful distinction for anyone planning a first visit: staying near the things you want to do in Savannah and staying near the stadium are not necessarily the same decision.
“I would suggest that you and your wife and son stay in the historic district, especially for someone who has never been to Savannah,” she told me.
She explained that Grayson Stadium sits outside the downtown area she was describing as walkable. Her suggestion was to enjoy the historic district and arrange transportation to the game.
That appeals to me. I want to see the city I’ve been covering, spend time with my family and finally understand what people mean when they tell me Savannah feels different.
Can a big stadium still feel personal?
Christopher turned that question around on me.
She had experienced Banana Ball at home. What did it feel like, she wanted to know, when I watched it in a much larger stadium?
“With Savannah Bananas, I felt like I was still part of the game,” I told her.
I explained how crew members and performers moved through the crowd. At different points, I found myself around the drum corps and Princess Potassia. There was something happening close enough to make me feel involved.
“They make it seem like it’s a small stadium, and that’s a very hard thing to do,” I said.
That was my experience. It isn’t a promise that a particular player will visit your section or that everybody will get an autograph.
But it helps explain why I keep going.
A large crowd can be impressive on its own. Keeping somebody interested in an upper section, away from the field, takes effort. In the games I’ve attended, that effort has been noticeable.
For 2027, I’ll be watching how that holds up as the venues and destinations change. Growth brings opportunity, but it also creates a challenge: How do you keep those personal moments when more people want one?
Check the matchup before you choose the city
One practical detail deserves more attention than it usually gets: a Banana Ball game does not automatically mean the Savannah Bananas are playing.
Read the actual matchup.
If someone in your family has spent months talking about a particular team, that matters. The Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts and Indianapolis Clowns each give fans another reason to follow the schedule.
The 2027 Seattle stop, for example, features the Party Animals and Loco Beach Coconuts at T-Mobile Park on April 23–24. The Bananas have their own Los Angeles stop that same weekend.
For somebody who simply wants a Banana Ball experience, either could be appealing. For a child hoping to see the yellow jerseys, the difference is significant.
Also remember that a team listing does not guarantee an individual player’s appearance. Plan around the announced event, and treat any personal interaction as something to enjoy if the opportunity develops.
Give yourself time for the part you came to enjoy
If photos, conversations and autographs are a big reason you’re going, build some breathing room into the day.
I wouldn’t want to spend the whole afternoon rushing from an airport to a hotel to a parking garage, then arrive already annoyed.
Once our Know Before You Go guide is available, check:
- Opening times: The plaza, seating areas and main show may have different start times.
- Meet-and-greet details: Look for announced signing opportunities and their access requirements.
- Entry rules: Check the venue’s bag policy and whether re-entry is allowed.
- Ticket access: Have your tickets ready using the event’s instructions.
- Food and extras: Confirm what your specific ticket includes.
In 2027 our help center links to city-specific game-day guidance will help a ton. Use the guide for your event rather than assuming something you experienced at another stadium will apply.
Then leave yourself enough time to look around.
You may come away with the photo you wanted. You may end up talking with another family who traveled farther than you did. Either way, it’s easier to enjoy the day when every minute isn’t accounted for.
A game can be the reason for the trip - and still leave room for Savannah
Christopher’s simplest recommendation for my eventual visit was to begin with a trolley tour.
“I always tell everybody you start with the trolley tour,” she said.
Her reasoning was practical: get oriented, learn about the city and then decide where you want to spend more time.
That’s how I want to approach Savannah. The game will be a major part of the visit, but I also want time for the places and people around it.
In our conversation, Christopher kept returning to the breadth of the Bananas’ audience.
“The unique quality of the Savannah Bananas is that they bring everyone together,” she said.
She described couples, families, individuals and different age groups finding something to enjoy.
That matters when you’re planning a trip with other people. The biggest fan in the family might be happy spending every waking minute talking about Banana Ball. Everybody else may appreciate a good meal, a walk or an afternoon without a schedule.
I say that as somebody who could very easily be the biggest fan in that family.
What I’ll be looking for in 2027
I’ll follow the competition. I want to see how the teams develop and what the next championship race looks like.
But I also want to keep asking the smaller questions.
Did a first-time fan feel welcome? Did a family get enough time to enjoy the experience? Did the person who came along reluctantly leave wanting to come back?
Christopher put the atmosphere at Grayson Stadium simply:
“The game day excitement is electric.”
I’ve felt that excitement elsewhere. Now I want to experience it in Savannah, too.
For anyone staring at the 2027 schedule, my advice is to pick the matchup you actually want, understand the ticket process and build a trip you’ll enjoy beyond the ballpark.
And if you see me looking at flights to a fourth or fifth city, please remind me that I wrote the part about planning carefully.
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