Savannah Bananas in St. Louis: What to Know Before You Go to Busch Stadium

If you’re heading to Busch Stadium in St. Louis to see the Loco Beach Coconuts take on the Savannah Bananas, I’m going to start this Know Before You Go guide with something that isn't on a parking map.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to leave when the show is over.

I've attended enough Banana Ball games now that I guess I qualify as a veteran Banana Ball attendee, and I've repeatedly seen something that still impresses me.

Look for the guy in the yellow tux.

Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole regularly sticks around after the action to meet fans, take pictures and sign autographs. I've personally watched the lines. I've seen kids waiting. I've seen adults waiting. And I've watched Jesse continue meeting people.

More than once.

I can't promise what will happen at any particular event, but based on what I've witnessed firsthand, Jesse makes an extraordinary effort to stay until the people waiting to meet him have gotten their opportunity.

That tells you something about Banana Ball—and it's also my first veteran-fan tip for St. Louis:

Get there early. Stay late. Don't treat this like an ordinary baseball game.

Here's what else you should know before the Bananas and Coconuts take over Busch Stadium.

When are the Savannah Bananas playing in St. Louis?

The Loco Beach Coconuts and Savannah Bananas play at Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, 2026.

Both days have the same schedule:

2:00 p.m. — Pre-Game Plaza opens
2:00 p.m. — Player appearances begin
3:00 p.m. — Before the Peel begins
4:30 p.m. — Gates open
6:30 p.m. — Show starts
7:00 p.m. — Game time

The location:

Busch Stadium
700 Clark Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63102

Early merchandise openings are also planned, although specific times haven't been announced yet.

Yes, I really would arrive at 2:00 for a 6:30 show

If this is your first Banana Ball game, that probably sounds nuts.

Why would you arrive four-and-a-half hours before the show?

After attending a bunch of these events, I've learned that you're missing part of Banana Ball if you think the experience begins with the first pitch.

Player appearances start when the Plaza opens at 2:00.

Then Before the Peel starts at 3:00.

Hosted by Banana Ball broadcasters and cast members, the pregame show can include appearances by players, mascots and surprise guests, along with music, dancing and entertainment.

There will also be merchandise tents featuring gear for the Savannah Bananas and Loco Beach Coconuts.

This is especially worthwhile if you're bringing kids. Don't make them wait until 6:30 to start having fun.

The Loco Beach Coconuts are part of the story

If you've been following the Savannah Bananas but aren't yet familiar with the Loco Beach Coconuts, don't worry about doing homework before the game.

In fact, discovering the different personalities is part of the fun.

One of the interesting things about watching Banana Ball grow is that it isn't simply the Savannah Bananas traveling around the country putting on exhibitions anymore.

The teams are developing identities of their own.

So come for the Bananas if that's why you bought the tickets—but pay attention to the guys on the other side, too.

You may leave with a new favorite.

Take care of your tickets before leaving home

Here's another lesson I've learned from attending these events:

Don't spend valuable pregame time fighting with your phone.

Digital tickets become available 72 hours before first pitch and can be downloaded to your mobile wallet.

Do that before you head downtown.

The Fans First Tickets Management App can be used to access tickets, transfer them to friends and family, list tickets on the official Marketplace, browse available tickets and scan into the event.

If something does go wrong, Ticket Help stations will be available at the scanning locations outside Busch Stadium and in the Plaza before the gates open.

But I'd rather be watching player appearances at 2:00 than trying to remember a ticket-account password.

Know your seat before you go

Banana Ball tickets are sold by Ticket Zones.

Specific sections, rows and seats are assigned within the zone originally purchased, with assignments scheduled to be communicated to ticketholders as Fans First dictates.

If you purchased Standing Room Only, there's an important distinction:

You don't have a reserved seat.

SRO tickets provide entry to the show with viewing from designated standing-room areas around the concourse and ballpark.

Check what you've got before game day so there are no surprises.

Parking at Busch Stadium

Busch Stadium is downtown next to Ballpark Village, so there are multiple parking options.

Parking is available for advance purchase through the Cardinals.

The All-Star Lot is at:

611 S. 8th Street
St. Louis, MO 63102

ADA parking for the All-Star Lot is underneath the I-64 bridge and is available on a first-come, first-served basis with the appropriate state-issued disability placard or license plate. Fans needing ADA parking are encouraged to arrive early.

For rideshare, taxi or passenger drop-off, guests can use 8th Street north of Gate 3 on the west side or Broadway just south of Clark Street on the east side.

After the event, the designated pickup information provided is Broadway just south of Clark Street.

My veteran-event advice here is boring but useful:

Build parking time into your day.

There's already entertainment waiting for you at 2:00. I'd much rather arrive too early and have fun than sit in downtown traffic watching the clock.

Check your bag before leaving

Busch Stadium permits bags, purses and soft-sided coolers that do not exceed:

10" x 8" x 10"

Items entering Busch Stadium may be inspected.

If you're bringing anything you're uncertain about, check Busch Stadium's complete prohibited-items rules before leaving home.

That's particularly important because of the next rule.

Once you're in, you're in

There is no re-entry at Busch Stadium.

Once your ticket has been scanned and you've entered the ballpark, you can't leave and come back using the same ticket.

That's one of those details worth telling everybody in your group before you scan in.

Make sure you've got what you need first.

My veteran-fan advice: Look around

This sounds ridiculously simple, but I've learned it from going to these games:

Look around.

Don't spend the entire event staring at the pitcher and batter.

There's often something happening somewhere else.

Watch the players when the ball isn't in play. Watch the entertainment. Watch the crowd. Talk to the people around you. If you've got kids, let them get into it.

And take some pictures—but don't experience the entire evening through your phone.

Banana Ball is designed to keep your attention moving.

Let it.

And when it's over, look for the yellow tux

This brings me back to Jesse Cole.

There's a reason I wanted to include this in a Know Before You Go guide.

A first-time fan could easily see the final action, start heading toward the exits and never realize that one of the more memorable experiences of the evening might still be available.

I've personally watched Jesse stay and meet autograph seekers repeatedly.

And it's not the autograph itself that has impressed me.

It's the commitment.

You're talking about the founder of this whole operation standing there after an enormous event and continuing to give individual fans a moment of his time.

I've seen it with my own eyes enough times that, if my kid wanted to meet Jesse, I wouldn't automatically head for the parking lot when the show ends.

I'd look for the yellow tux.

Be patient. There may be a line. And don't treat this article as a guarantee that Jesse will be available at every game—circumstances can always change.

But based on my own experiences, I've seen him make a remarkable effort to get to the end of that line.

That's really my St. Louis advice

You can find the game time on a schedule.

You can find the address on Google Maps.

You can find your seat on your ticket.

But after going to a bunch of Banana Ball games, the thing I'd tell a first-timer is different:

Don't optimize your day around getting in and getting out.

Do the opposite.

Arrive early enough for the player appearances.

Experience Before the Peel.

Meet people.

Watch the Coconuts even if you came for the Bananas.

Participate instead of simply observing.

And after the game, if meeting Jesse Cole would mean something to you or your kids, don't immediately race for the exit.

Look for the guy in the yellow tux.

The show officially starts at 6:30 p.m.

But the people who arrive at 2:00 p.m.—and aren't necessarily the first ones out afterward—may end up with the best stories to tell.

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