The Savannah Bananas aren’t coming back to Baltimore in 2026, but two Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL) teams will visit Maryland next year.
The Bananas, sometimes compared with the Harlem Globetrotters because of its unique playing style that includes dancing and props, played at Camden Yards twice in 2025. The Bananas announced Thursday on ESPN2 that while they won’t play in Maryland in 2026, two new BBCL teams — the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns — will play at Prince George’s Stadium on July 31 and Aug. 1. The venue is home to the Chesapeake Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Orioles.
The addition of the two new BBCL teams brings the league to six squads, including the Bananas. The Clowns are named after a former Negro League team known for theatrical performances.
When the Bananas visited Baltimore in 2025, both games sold out and a few former Orioles stars were involved with the festivities. Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis took part in the games, as did former manager Buck Showalter. The Bananas don’t announce guests in advance of games, as the Baltimore celebrity appearances were all surprises for fans.
“This is one of the loudest crowds we’ve had in the history of Banana Ball and Savannah Bananas,” Bananas owner and founder Jesse Cole said of the atmosphere at Camden Yards in early August. “You could see not one fan left before the end of the game. It was electric. So, for our players, our staff, for everybody, it gives us even more purpose in what we do to be able to do it here and see the response from fans.”
Despite not coming to Camden Yards for a 2026 visit, the Bananas will play in several high-profile venues next year. They’ll kick off their high-profile 2026 schedule by spending three days at Florida State University in late February, playing at the Seminoles’ baseball and football stadium over the course of the trip. Florida State’s football venue, Doak Campbell Stadium, seats just under 80,000 people.
Other notable planned visits include trips to New York’s Yankee Stadium and the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field, among other MLB ballparks.
Bananas tickets go on sale through a lottery system, which opened Thursday night and remains open through the end of October. Fans hoping to attend games are asked to sign up for the lottery drawing before the end of the month, and lottery winners will be announced at a later date. There’s no benefit to signing up for the lottery earlier in October, as the drawing is random, according to the team.
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