Savannah Bananas at Gillette Stadium: A Veteran's Foxborough Know-Before-You-Go on Saturday Guide

Parking Alert: A paid parking pass is required for ALL stadium parking for this event. To save time today, ticketholders are strongly encouraged to purchase a prepaid parking pass in advance.

Today's (Saturday) Weather Report:

Day condition: Partly cloudy to clear with comfortable, lower humidity.
Temperature: High of 77°F–78°F, dropping to a low of 53°F–55°F at night.
Rain chance: Low, around 1% to 2%.
Wind: Light at about 7 to 8 mph from the northwest

If you’re going to see the Savannah Bananas take on the Loco Beach Coconuts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, I have two pieces of advice before we get into tickets, parking and bags.

By the way, why listen to me?

I have been to a ton of Savannah Bananas games and been to the (GREAT) stadium even more.

Anyway—get there early.

And pay attention to the field.

I've attended a lot of Banana Ball games now, including games played inside football stadiums. I've learned that seeing Banana Ball in a football stadium isn't simply seeing the same show with more seats.

The unusual field dimensions can actually change the way the game feels and is played.

There can be different opportunities for hitters, different spaces for fielders to cover and considerably more movement.

The players are good enough—and creative enough—to recognize what's available to them and try to exploit it.

I've watched it happen firsthand.

And now they're bringing Banana Ball to one of America's most recognizable football stadiums.

Gillette Stadium is synonymous with the New England Patriots. New England is also one of the country's great baseball regions.

Now put baseball on a football field, add the Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts, and throw Banana Ball into the middle of it.

That should be something to see.

Here's what I'd want to know before going.

When are the Savannah Bananas playing at Gillette Stadium?

The Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts play at Gillette Stadium today, August 29, 2026.

Here is the same major event timeline:

2:00 p.m. — Pre-Game Plaza opens
2:00 p.m. — Player appearances begin
3:00 p.m. — Pre-show entertainment
4:30 p.m. — Gillette Stadium gates open
6:30 p.m. — Banana Ball show begins
7:00 p.m. — First pitch

The game is at:

Gillette Stadium
One Patriot Place
Foxborough, MA 02035

Yes, the Plaza really does open hours before the game.

After attending a lot of Banana Ball, I don't consider that wasted time.

I consider it part of the ticket.

Veteran Banana Ball advice: Don't arrive at 6:25

This is probably the biggest mistake I think a first-time Banana Ball fan can make.

You see “6:30 p.m.” on the schedule and think that's when the experience begins.

It doesn't.

And first pitch itself isn't until 7:00.

Banana Ball isn't structured like a traditional baseball game where you find your seat five minutes before first pitch and haven't really missed anything.

The Pre-Game Plaza opens at 2:00 p.m., including player appearances. Pre-show entertainment begins at 3:00 p.m., and the stadium gates open at 4:30 p.m.

The Plaza can include players, cast members, mascots, music, dancing and surprise appearances. Merchandise for the Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts will also be available.

I've been to enough Banana Ball events to strongly recommend experiencing this part, particularly if you're bringing kids.

Don't think of it as waiting for Banana Ball to start.

Banana Ball has already started.

Why Banana Ball at Gillette Stadium could be different

This is the part I'm particularly excited about.

I've personally watched Banana Ball games played in football stadiums, and the field can become another character in the show.

Baseball fields have dimensions baseball players understand instinctively.

Put baseball inside a football stadium and things get interesting.

Depending on how the field is configured, fences can be unusually positioned, open areas can change, fielders can have different amounts of territory to cover and hitters can see opportunities that wouldn't exist in a conventional baseball park.

From what I've personally witnessed, the Banana Ball players recognize those opportunities.

They're not oblivious to where they're playing.

The players and cast may even somehow get a Boston accent along the way.

I've seen unusual dimensions affect how hitters approach things and create opportunities for plays and movement you simply don't get in a normal ballpark.

That's particularly fun with Banana Ball because creativity is already part of the game.

Give creative baseball players an unusual baseball field and you've added another variable.

It isn't just a bigger venue. It can feel like a different game.

That's what surprised me when I first watched Banana Ball in a football stadium.

I expected the bigger crowd and different atmosphere.

What I didn't fully appreciate beforehand was what the dimensions could add to the actual play.

There's more space in unusual places.

Less space in others.

There can be short fences and strange angles.

Players have to make different decisions.

All that determines strategy.

And from a fan's perspective, there is something inherently entertaining about watching baseball somewhere your brain knows baseball isn't normally supposed to be played.

That feeling should be amplified at Gillette Stadium.

This is one of the country's iconic football venues. Generations of New England sports fans associate it with Patriots football.

The field is going to look very different than what you may used to normally

If you've been to Gillette before, don't assume you already know what the venue experience will feel like.

You haven't seen it like this.

Don't ignore the Loco Beach Coconuts

If you're coming specifically because you love the Savannah Bananas, that's understandable.

But here's another piece of advice I've picked up from attending these games:

Watch the other team.

Banana Ball is becoming much bigger than the Savannah Bananas themselves. The different teams are developing personalities, players and fan bases of their own.

In Foxborough, that's the Loco Beach Coconuts.

You don't need to study their roster before arriving. Part of the fun is discovering somebody you weren't expecting to care about.

I've gone into Banana Ball games focused on one person and come out talking about somebody completely different.

Let that happen.

Can you take the train to Banana Ball at Gillette Stadium?

Yes—and now there is a specific special-event train schedule.

4:15 p.m. — Depart South Station
4:20 p.m. — Depart Back Bay
4:35 p.m. — Depart Dedham Corporate Center
5:15 p.m. — Arrive at Foxboro Station

The special-event train is scheduled to leave Foxboro Station approximately 30 minutes after the game ends.

Roundtrip tickets are $20 and are sold through the MBTA mTicket app, with capacity limited.

Foxboro Station is within walking distance of Gillette Stadium.

If rail fits your plans, it could eliminate a lot of driving stress.

What about Uber and Lyft?

Gillette Stadium's designated Uber and Lyft drop-off and pickup location is Lot 15, adjacent to Bass Pro Shops.

Taxi pickup is also currently listed in Lot 15.

Here's the part I'd think about before the game rather than afterward:

Getting dropped off is one thing.

Getting picked up with thousands of other people leaving an event simultaneously can be another.

Have a plan before everybody reaches for their phones at the same time.

What is the Gillette Stadium bag policy?

This is one to figure out before leaving home.

Gillette Stadium currently allows these bag types at ticketed events:

A one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag no larger than:

11" x 11"

A clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag no larger than:

12" x 12" x 6"

Or a small wristlet or handheld wallet, with or without a handle or strap, no larger than:

6.5" x 4.5"

Medically necessary items can be admitted after screening.

Nobody wants to start a Banana Ball experience by walking back to the car because they brought the wrong bag.

Check it before you go.

Here's something a stadium FAQ won't tell you

After attending a lot of Banana Ball, I've realized that where you look matters almost as much as where you sit.

Traditional baseball trains us to stare at the pitcher and batter.

Don't do only that here.

Look around.

Watch the fielders.

Watch what's happening when the ball isn't in play.

Watch the cast and entertainment.

Watch the fans.

Talk to the family next to you.

Let your kids get involved.

And at Gillette in particular, watch how the players react to the dimensions of the field.

That's something I'm going to be watching.

I've seen football-stadium Banana Ball before, and the extra space and unconventional configuration can create a level of movement and unpredictability that's difficult to appreciate until you see it.

Take pictures—but don't watch the whole thing through your phone

I'm guilty of wanting to capture things too.

You'll see something funny and pull out your phone. Somebody starts doing something ridiculous and out comes the camera.

Absolutely capture some memories.

Just don't record so much that you miss the experience you're trying to preserve.

Some of my favorite Banana Ball moments have been things I never knew were coming.

That's part of the appeal.

You're not just attending a baseball game at Gillette Stadium

If this is your first Banana Ball game, I'd avoid trying to compare everything you're seeing to Major League Baseball.

There is legitimate baseball.

There is legitimate competition.

And that's actually one of the things I enjoy about it.

But there's also music, dancing, comedy, player interaction, audience participation and an almost constant attempt to keep people engaged.

Then there's the venue.

I've personally seen the difference playing Banana Ball in a football stadium can make.

It can add movement, strategy, unpredictability and another layer of fun.

Now they're doing it at Gillette Stadium.

Baseball in a football stadium.

In Massachusetts.

With the Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts.

That combination is weird enough that I wouldn't want to miss it.

My veteran-fan checklist for Foxborough

If you're going to the game, here's what I'd do:

Get your tickets all situated.

Check Gillette's bag rules.

Figure out parking, rail or rideshare ahead of time.

Arrive early.

Go to the Plaza.

See the player, personality, and other appearances.

Don't be afraid to go and talk to them.

Watch the pre-show entertainment.

Pay attention to both teams. The players really are awesome and very welcoming.

Look around instead of staring exclusively at home plate.

And especially watch how the players use a football stadium that's suddenly pretending to be a baseball field.

Most importantly, participate.

Banana Ball is considerably more fun when you stop treating yourself like a spectator and become part of what's happening around you.

The Savannah Bananas vs. Loco Beach Coconuts show officially starts at 6:30 p.m., with first pitch scheduled for 7.

But if you walk into Gillette at 6:25, you've missed my favorite lesson from attending all these games:

You aren't late for the baseball.

You're late for Banana Ball.

And at a venue like Gillette Stadium, I'd want every minute of it.

One last bit of advice:

Stay late.

After the game can be an entirely different experience worth sticking around for.

I've personally seen Jesse Cole, the yellow-tux-clad founder of the Savannah Bananas, remain after events meeting fans long after the action ends.

That isn't a promise he'll be available in Foxborough.

But it's another reason I wouldn't necessarily sprint for the exit the moment the game ends.

See additional Savannah Bananas on si content!

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