Banana Ball has finally come to Minnesota. The Savannah Bananas take over Target Field this weekend — Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9, 2026 — facing the Loco Beach Coconuts in the team’s first-ever Minneapolis appearance. All three games sold out through the ticket lottery, which tells you everything about how big this circus-meets-baseball phenomenon has become: dancing players, batters stealing first, fans catching foul balls for outs, and a two-hour clock on the whole delirious thing.
If you scored tickets: what to know this weekend
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for Friday and Saturday’s games and 12:30 p.m. for Sunday’s. Go early — the Twins’ event page warns that North 7th Street and Twins Way close around the ballpark from Thursday morning through Sunday night, and downtown is genuinely stacked this weekend: two Lynx games at Target Center and the final weekend of Wicked at the Orpheum are happening at the same time. Note for transit riders: buses are replacing Blue Line trains through August 20, so plan extra time (the Green Line is running normally — check alerts before you go).
Sleep somewhere as memorable as the game
If you’re coming in from out of town for Banana Ball, skip the interstate hotel. 300 Clifton is the historic Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park — on the National Register of Historic Places, the finest Georgian architecture in Minnesota, and a short hop from Target Field. After the fireworks and the choreographed home-run celebrations, come back to the 4-season garden hot tub under the stars, or take your nightcap down to Gertrude’s Cistern, our speakeasy and haunted video lounge. Rooms run from the Grand Edwardian to the Crystal Mansion — see our specials and packages for add-ons.
Missed the lottery? Here’s the 2027 plan
The Bananas’ 2027 tour hasn’t been announced yet — no cities or dates are posted as of this writing — but the 2026 tour hit 75-plus stadiums and sold out nearly everywhere, and tour announcements typically drop in the fall. If you want a shot at Banana Ball in Minneapolis in 2027, join the ticket lottery list at bananaball.com now, and when dates are announced, book your stay the same day — this weekend proved that when the Bananas come to town, everything downtown fills up fast.
Make a baseball weekend of it
Target Field hosts plenty beyond Banana Ball: the Yankees come to town September 11–16, and the State Fair Grandstand concerts run August 27–September 7. While you’re here, ride a Minneapolis Trolley Tour, book dinner at the Pillsbury Club mansion, or — for longer stays — check out Oakland’s on 9th, furnished studios an easy walk from the ballpark. More ideas: things to do in Minneapolis.
Book your Banana Ball basecamp
Whether you’re here for this weekend’s sold-out spectacle or already plotting 2027, check availability at 300 Clifton — the hot tub is warm, the ghosts are friendly, and yes, we’ll want to hear all about the dancing umpires at breakfast.
Keep reading: Where to Stay for Halloween in Minneapolis: Haunted Mansion Nights and Spooky Season 2026