rooms, and more energy- efficient infrastructure. Find out how to book it on the city of Johnston’s website. New tonight — the Savannah Bananas are returning to Iowa next summer. The Iowa Hawkeyes announced on social media the traveling baseball club will be performing at Kinnick Stadium on July 3rd and 4th. This will be the Bananas third time playing in Iowa and the first time at Kinnick in Iowa City. KCCI was there when the team brought it’s unique version of baseball called ‘Banana Ball’ to Principal Park in 2024.

Savannah’s viral showmen are bringing the 2026 Banana Ball World Tour to Kinnick Stadium. The Savannah Bananas are slated to play two games on July 3 and July 4 against the Firefighters. Both games will start at 7 p.m.The traveling exhibition baseball club with a penchant for viral highlights sold out two games in the summer of 2023 and three in 2024 at Principal Park in Des Moines. The Bananas did not return to Iowa in 2025.Tickets will likely be hard to come by and will almost certainly sell out, based on previous ticket sales records in Iowa. The tickets are sold through the Bananas’ ticketing platform.How to get Savannah Bananas ticketsFans hoping to snag tickets for either game will need to enter the Bananas’ ticket lottery before it closes at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31 for a chance to purchase tickets. To enter the ticket lottery, click here. Can’t make it to Iowa City? The Bananas are making stops at several other stadiums and ballparks within driving distance of central Iowa:May 30-31: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MOJune 11: Haymarket Park, Lincoln, NEJune 13: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NEJuly 24-26: Wrigley Field, ChicagoAug. 7-9: Target Field, MinneapolisAug. 27-29: The Birdcage, Sioux Falls, SD Watch: ‘Tickets were really, really hard to get’: Savannah Bananas sell out Iowa debutWho are the Savannah Bananas?The Bananas are an exhibition baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia, with a vibe similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. The Bananas are known for their own brand of baseball called “Banana Ball,” which features a number of significant rule changes.WATCH: Principal Park welcomes more than 13,000 fans as the Savannah Bananas take the fieldWhat is Banana Ball?The 10 rules of Banana Ball, according to the Bananas website:Games are won by points, not runs: the team that scores the most runs in an inning gets one point, except in the 9th inning when every run counts as one point.There is a two-hour time limit. No new inning can be started after 1 hour and 50 minutes.Batters cannot step out of the batter’s box. If a batter steps out, it’s a strike.Batters cannot bunt. If a hitter bunts, they are ejected from the game.Batters can steal first. This can happen on any passed ball, wild pitch or any other time the batter chooses.Walks are now called sprints. After the fourth ball, the batter is allowed to advance as far around the bases as he can, and cannot be tagged out until every fielder touches the ball.No mound visits are allowed. The Bananas recommend teams “hype your pitcher up from afar if needed.”If a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.Ties are broken by a “showdown tiebreaker.” Each team selects a pitcher and hitter to face off, with the pitching team having only the pitcher, catcher, and one fielder during the first round of the showdown. In the second round, the fielder is eliminated. If a third round is needed, the fielder is back, but the bases are loaded. In any showdown inning, the hitter has to score a run in order to earn a point for the tiebreaker.Each team is allowed to challenge one play per game. They can challenge a foul vs. fair ball, whether a runner is tagged out at home plate or on the basepath or if a catch was made. If a team wins the challenge, they retain their right to challenge the rest of the game. If the call stands after review, the team loses its challenge for the rest of the game. » Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

IOWA CITY, Iowa —

Savannah’s viral showmen are bringing the 2026 Banana Ball World Tour to Kinnick Stadium.

The Savannah Bananas are slated to play two games on July 3 and July 4 against the Firefighters. Both games will start at 7 p.m.

The traveling exhibition baseball club with a penchant for viral highlights sold out two games in the summer of 2023 and three in 2024 at Principal Park in Des Moines. The Bananas did not return to Iowa in 2025.

Tickets will likely be hard to come by and will almost certainly sell out, based on previous ticket sales records in Iowa. The tickets are sold through the Bananas’ ticketing platform.

How to get Savannah Bananas tickets

Fans hoping to snag tickets for either game will need to enter the Bananas’ ticket lottery before it closes at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31 for a chance to purchase tickets. To enter the ticket lottery, click here.

Can’t make it to Iowa City? The Bananas are making stops at several other stadiums and ballparks within driving distance of central Iowa:

May 30-31: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MOJune 11: Haymarket Park, Lincoln, NEJune 13: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE
July 24-26: Wrigley Field, ChicagoAug. 7-9: Target Field, MinneapolisAug. 27-29: The Birdcage, Sioux Falls, SD

Watch: ‘Tickets were really, really hard to get’: Savannah Bananas sell out Iowa debut

Who are the Savannah Bananas?

The Bananas are an exhibition baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia, with a vibe similar to the Harlem Globetrotters. The Bananas are known for their own brand of baseball called “Banana Ball,” which features a number of significant rule changes.

WATCH: Principal Park welcomes more than 13,000 fans as the Savannah Bananas take the field

What is Banana Ball?

The 10 rules of Banana Ball, according to the Bananas website:

Games are won by points, not runs: the team that scores the most runs in an inning gets one point, except in the 9th inning when every run counts as one point.There is a two-hour time limit. No new inning can be started after 1 hour and 50 minutes.Batters cannot step out of the batter’s box. If a batter steps out, it’s a strike.Batters cannot bunt. If a hitter bunts, they are ejected from the game.Batters can steal first. This can happen on any passed ball, wild pitch or any other time the batter chooses.Walks are now called sprints. After the fourth ball, the batter is allowed to advance as far around the bases as he can, and cannot be tagged out until every fielder touches the ball.No mound visits are allowed. The Bananas recommend teams “hype your pitcher up from afar if needed.”If a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.Ties are broken by a “showdown tiebreaker.” Each team selects a pitcher and hitter to face off, with the pitching team having only the pitcher, catcher, and one fielder during the first round of the showdown. In the second round, the fielder is eliminated. If a third round is needed, the fielder is back, but the bases are loaded. In any showdown inning, the hitter has to score a run in order to earn a point for the tiebreaker.Each team is allowed to challenge one play per game. They can challenge a foul vs. fair ball, whether a runner is tagged out at home plate or on the basepath or if a catch was made. If a team wins the challenge, they retain their right to challenge the rest of the game. If the call stands after review, the team loses its challenge for the rest of the game.

» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page

» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play