Banana Ball is coming to Biloxi. Here’s how the show works, how to get tickets
Banana Ball is coming to the Mississippi Coast in 2026 for the first time.
A joint release from the Biloxi Shuckers and Savannah Bananas on Thursday announced a two-game series between two teams from the Banana Ball ecosystem, the Loco Beach Coconuts and The Firefighters, to be played at Keesler Federal Park in September.
The games will be played on the 25th and 26th shortly following the conclusion of the Shuckers’ season. Those new to Banana Ball won’t find many similarities between the Savannah-born event and the typical minor-league summertime game.
What is Banana Ball?
The national sensation is rooted in a collegiate summer baseball team that had gone broke before its first season even began in 2016.
The organization gained attention with its unique team mascot and quickly drew crowds with dancing players and a unique, rule-bending style of play. The Bananas competeted in the Coastal Plain League for seven seasons and even won three titles.
The team gained popularity each year and eventually split from the CPL in 2022 to play its fast-paced brand focused on entertainment and showmanship throughout the year as an independent playing against its own umbrella of professional independent and equally as bananas teams. Those have been the Party Animals, the Firefighters and the Texas Tailgaters.
Banana Ball announced an expansion this month to include two more teams and officially launch the inaugural season of the Banana Ball Championship League with a six-team lineup.
While the Firefighters have been around since 2023, Biloxi will serve as a host site for the inaugural Loco Beach Coconuts campaign. The sixth team in the Banana Ball Championship League is a Negro League revival of the Indianapolis Clowns — an entertainment-first barnstorming team of the 20th century that Bananas founder Jesse Cole views as a spiritual predecessor to the Bananas.
The new league underscores one of the two pillars of Banana Ball: actual competition. Unlike the often-compared Harlem Globetrotters, baseball can’t exactly be scripted. Every game is real and consists of players who have played collegiately and, in some cases, in other independent or MLB-affiliated leagues.
The Bananas don’t win every game. There is no team akin to the Generals taking losses into eternity.
Though the baseball is real, that doesn’t mean the rules are the same. The second and most important pillar of Banana Ball is entertainment.
Speed and pace is first and foremost with each game having a two-hour time limit. Games aren’t won by runs, but rather points. The team with the most runs in an inning earns a point, except in the final inning where every run counts as a point.
Batters are not allowed to step out of the batter’s box and doing so will result in an automatic strike call. Bunting is grounds for ejection. Batters can attempt to steal first at any time.
There are no traditional take-your-base walks, but rather a sprint. The batter can attempt to take as many bases as he can while the ball is thrown to each non-pitcher fielder.
Mound visits are strictly prohibited. Any foul ball caught on the fly by a fan is an out.
Banana Ball even features a rule that turns purists sour at any mention among MLB circles: the Golden Batter. Once a game, a team may send any hitter up to bat at any point in the lineup.
Finally, trick plays are a countable stat. You’ll see infielders bounce the baseball off the dirt before firing it to first base and outfielders making the same behind the back catch your dad used to do in the backyard.
These are important, especially for the visiting team. If it has more trick plays than the home team through eight innings, it’s gifted an extra point ahead of the final inning.
In and around it all is constant flair, music and dancing. Plenty of dancing. Fans will see the 3-2-2 rule in action where a choreographed dance will occur in the third inning before the second batter sees their second pitch.
Tickets to the events are handled through a lottery system. Fans have until Oct. 31 to sign up for a chance to purchase a ticket. Each selection is allotted up to five purchaseable tickets.
The lottery can be entered at thesavannahbananas.com.
