2026 Savannah Bananas

[nebugeater]

It was mentioned in the Husker Athletics Special Events thread, but I am guessing this will have plenty of traction, so I am starting a separate topic.

The Savannah Bananas are playing at Haymarket Park on June 11 and in Memorial Stadium on June 13

The lottery to get ticket will close on Oct 31 https://bananaball.com/tickets/




The story lists some other college stadiums they will be in.
Texas A&M's Kyle Field, Oregon's Autzen Stadium, Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium, North Carolina's Kenan Stadium, and Iowa's Kinnick Stadium

They are also returning to Kauffman Stadium next summer.


https://www.si.com/college/nebraska/foo ... ah-bananas

[nebugeater]

KETV story


https://www.ketv.com/article/savannah-b ... m/68992812

[Stan]

I instantly became a fan of the team after falling in love with the city of Savannah prior to their TikTok fame so I've seen them several times in KC, twice at the Monarchs stadium and earlier this year at Kaufman. I preferred Kaufman by far because you could hardly hear what the announcer was saying at Legends Field and it was more like boarding a Southwest flight where there weren't assigned seats. Both of these reasons made Kaufman a much better event.

I put my name in for the lottery and hope to get some tickets to the Memorial Stadium game. I can actually count on one hand the amount of times I've been to Memorial Stadium (three husker games, finishing the half marathon, and Garth Brooks concert) and would love to see 90,000 people show up for it. Though it will probably be closer to their 85,000 capacity since they'll need the field for the game.

[Stargazer]

Okay, Memorial Stadium made sense given its drawing power, but Haymarket two days before??

Is CWS Inc that poorly managed?? How do you miss out on getting a date at the Chuck ahead of the CWS??

[nebugeater]

Okay, Memorial Stadium made sense given its drawing power, but Haymarket two days before??

Is CWS Inc that poorly managed?? How do you miss out on getting a date at the Chuck ahead of the CWS??

I think Omaha would have been a great option, too, for the first one.. That said, I am sure this was a package deal with the University and the city of Lincoln.

They are playing two nights in Iowa City at Kinnick

[almighty_tuna]

Yeah, two UNL facilities screams one VIP night at Haymarket Park and the public night out at Memorial Stadium. UNL wouldn't make any money or PR boost by including a game at The Chuck.

[nebugeater]

Just got my email saying that I was not selected from the pool of entries to buy tickets for Lincoln

Guess that answers the question about whether we would go or not.

[Brad]

Just got my email saying that I was not selected from the pool of entries to buy tickets for Lincoln

Guess that answers the question about whether we would go or not.

My wife entered me in to the lottery too, and I was also not selected. I'm not sad about it either...

[skinzfan23]

I know its just entertainment (really all sports are) but I find this like the Harlem Globetrotters. There really isn't anything they are playing for (standings, championships or otherwise) so it really isn't on my radar at all.

[Greg S]

I guess I got lucky and was picked. Tried going to see them in KC last year but didn't make the cut in the lottery.

[Stan]

I got selected for Standby tickets. I've seen them three times when they played at Legends Field(Awful PA system) and last year at Kauffman. Last years show was great and the seats I was able to get were pretty good too.

I've been a fan before they blew up on Tiktok since I became more of a fan of everything Savannah, GA after visiting there for work several years back.

[BRoss]

Just got my email saying that I was not selected from the pool of entries to buy tickets for Lincoln

Guess that answers the question about whether we would go or not.

Me too. I was disappointed because I was wanting to check them out in person.

[nebugeater]

Just got my email saying that I was not selected from the pool of entries to buy tickets for Lincoln

Guess that answers the question about whether we would go or not.

Me too. I was disappointed because I was wanting to check them out in person.

I wonder what the total number of requests was? Had to be crazy high. I have a couple of Facebook friends who posted that they got no responses and asked what others got. A lot of responses from people I do not know. Out of a guess of 25 responses, I saw one "yes", four or five "waiting list", and the rest "no".

[Brad]

Joba Chamberlain pitched tonight in Lincoln for the Bananas.

[nebugeater]

Joba Chamberlain pitched tonight in Lincoln for the Bananas.

That's cool

[OmahaRedWing]

The Bananas do a nice job incorporating local interest into their games. Will be interesting to see what they do Saturday night.

[Brad]

The Bananas do a nice job incorporating local interest into their games. Will be interesting to see what they do Saturday night.

I see tonight they rolled out Tom Osborne




And Eric Crouch

[Greg S]

We went to this Saturday night. Pretty darned cool event. Loved seeing Coach Osborne. It dawned on me we might not have too many more times like this with him in Memorial Stadium. He got quite the ovation.

For the event itself was incredibly impressed, start to finish. They had events starting early in the afternoon. Outside the stadium they had autograph times with the players and a free concert that attracted thousands. They had also had a huge merchandise tent for both teams. They sold so much gear. Was not expecting how many people showed up in Lincoln with gear already on. Locally both Scheels and Rally House was selling it too. So much yellow in the stadium.

I hadn't really watched their games previously. I had thought the comparison was the Globetrotters, but it wasn't really the case. They actually play a real game. They do have their own rules but it's not like the trotters were it's scripted and they always win. In fact the Bananas lost both game in Lincoln, and Saturdays was a walk off. They did do some trick plays but only when they could still make an out and such, They kept track of those and are used as a tiebreaker if the game is tied at the end of regulation.

There was activity non stop. From the pregame in stadium until the end of the game, it was just non stop. We sat way up in the 600 level in the East Stadium. Every time they through merchandise, like t shirts, someone from either team was up in our section/level throwing too. I have never seen that happen in other events. The Firemen's drum corp came up and played and several player/mascots appeared up their for pics and such. Pretty cool.

I was also caught off guard with how many people came from out of town. We met people from Indianapolis in a bar before the game, and the people next to us had come in from Wyoming. Lots of out of state plates in the parking garage we parked at.

Literally everyone working involved was so nice and energetic. The only thing I could think of to compare it to was Disney. Rarely am I this in tune but Sunday I saw an interview with the owner (I had seen one on CBS years ago when they just started and they and the other teams only played in Savannah) and he was saying how he was inspired in how he runs the company by Walt Disney. He talked about how he is continually approached by investors and private equity groups that want to invest. He won't sell. He wants to keep control. He's been advised to add fees and told he can charge more. He made a point that a $40 ticket is just that $40, no fees, and any taxes are already included. I think the bulk of the tickets for this event were $35 to $60. The t shirts and stuff were all around $30 (definitely significantly cheaper than what I saw earlier in the week at the CWS tent). They even have their own ticketing system and app.

I was with a group of adult friends (my college age sons weren't interested). I really wish this had started years earlier, they would have loved it when they were younger. The kids around me were totally engaged start to finish and had a fantastic time. With the stadium under construction next summer a return then feels unlikley but I imagine they will be back after that. I've noticed once the Bananas go to a city they usually return annually. They did well in Lincoln (the stadium was completely full) and it was good for the university in the NIL era.

Greg

[nebugeater]

We went to this Saturday night. Pretty darned cool event. Loved seeing Coach Osborne. It dawned on me we might not have too many more times like this with him in Memorial Stadium. He got quite the ovation.

For the event itself was incredibly impressed, start to finish. They had events starting early in the afternoon. Outside the stadium they had autograph times with the players and a free concert that attracted thousands. They had also had a huge merchandise tent for both teams. They sold so much gear. Was not expecting how many people showed up in Lincoln with gear already on. Locally both Scheels and Rally House was selling it too. So much yellow in the stadium.

I hadn't really watched their games previously. I had thought the comparison was the Globetrotters, but it wasn't really the case. They actually play a real game. They do have their own rules but it's not like the trotters were it's scripted and they always win. In fact the Bananas lost both game in Lincoln, and Saturdays was a walk off. They did do some trick plays but only when they could still make an out and such, They kept track of those and are used as a tiebreaker if the game is tied at the end of regulation.

There was activity non stop. From the pregame in stadium until the end of the game, it was just non stop. We sat way up in the 600 level in the East Stadium. Every time they through merchandise, like t shirts, someone from either team was up in our section/level throwing too. I have never seen that happen in other events. The Firemen's drum corp came up and played and several player/mascots appeared up their for pics and such. Pretty cool.

I was also caught off guard with how many people came from out of town. We met people from Indianapolis in a bar before the game, and the people next to us had come in from Wyoming. Lots of out of state plates in the parking garage we parked at.

Literally everyone working involved was so nice and energetic. The only thing I could think of to compare it to was Disney. Rarely am I this in tune but Sunday I saw an interview with the owner (I had seen one on CBS years ago when they just started and they and the other teams only played in Savannah) and he was saying how he was inspired in how he runs the company by Walt Disney. He talked about how he is continually approached by investors and private equity groups that want to invest. He won't sell. He wants to keep control. He's been advised to add fees and told he can charge more. He made a point that a $40 ticket is just that $40, no fees, and any taxes are already included. I think the bulk of the tickets for this event were $35 to $60. The t shirts and stuff were all around $30 (definitely significantly cheaper than what I saw earlier in the week at the CWS tent). They even have their own ticketing system and app.

I was with a group of adult friends (my college age sons weren't interested). I really wish this had started years earlier, they would have loved it when they were younger. The kids around me were totally engaged start to finish and had a fantastic time. With the stadium under construction next summer a return then feels unlikley but I imagine they will be back after that. I've noticed once the Bananas go to a city they usually return annually. They did well in Lincoln (the stadium was completely full) and it was good for the university in the NIL era.

Greg

They sell out everywhere, and I agree with your observation that they will be back. I would not be surprised to see them in Omaha for a couple of years after the CWS. They have six diff teams that tour and it could very well be with a couple of their other teams

The Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, Loco Beach Coconuts, and Indianapolis Clowns serve as the rotating opponents for the Savannah Bananas and Party Animals.