This weekend was a very special one in Disney World, because something SUPER neat was happening over at ESPN Wide World of Sports!

It’s time for Banana Ball!

This spot is where you’ll find numerous massive sporting events happening throughout the year, including, but not limited to, cheerleading competitions, baseball tournaments, and dance events, but unless you’re signed up for them, a lot of people don’t find themselves over in this area of the resort (and that includes us!). However, we got to head over there on May 30th for something that we knew we’d love, but we didn’t expect just HOW much — it was time for Banana Ball!

Banana Ball fast-paced, entertainment-focused version of baseball pioneered by the Savannah Bananas — yes, the baseball team that has a blast dancing, singing, and overall having a grand time while playing the game. Their games are a bit different, not only because of the choreographed dance breaks, but also because there might be some new rules, and the games are limited to two hours. This weekend, it came to Disney World for the first time!

©Disney

Before the game, we got to attend the event at Pre-Game Plaza, which is a fan area outside the ballpark where players and cast members interact with guests before the game. Our favorite part of the event was Pre Party LIVE, which includes broadcasters, players, cast members, music, dancing, interviews, and surprise appearances before the gates open. If you’re familiar with the Savannah Bananas, this is very similar to “Before the Peel!” The game we got to see was between none other than the Party Animals and the Coconuts, and we knew it was about to be a great game!

The crowd was READY!

Jesse Cole is the creator of the Savannah Bananas, and this entire movement that’s been created, and during a chat with him, we found out that every morning, he wakes up and reads one of his many Walt Disney books. He uses the choices and decisions Disney made throughout his life as a guiding force in the decisions he makes about his company. After the practice we got to see, he spoke about how the idea of this kind of baseball is to bring people together, and even after just experiencing one game, we 100% saw what he meant.

Jesse Cole on the field!

We really hope this will become a more common occurrence in Disney World, because we really do feel like it brought so many people together. Usually, you may not think of Disney fans and baseball fans in the same sentence, but a game like this is exactly what combines both of the things they love. You’ve got the fun, eccentric, energetic, and wild energy that IS the Savannah Bananas and its associated teams, but you’ve also got a celebration of baseball, one of the most patriotic games there is, to many of the American population. Weirdness is celebrated and encouraged here, but so is the absolute love of this beloved pastime. If you’re not familiar with the game, or you’ve never felt like you belong in sports before, this is a space where you can safely begin to learn the game without feeling judged, because everyone’s just there for a great time!

Party Animals on the field!

The Party Animals ended up winning the game 4-1 against the Coconuts, and we had an absolute BLAST. We know that the Banana Bowl, which will be the finale of the first Banana Bowl league, will be airing on Disney+, as well as on Disney’s YouTube, so fans without Disney+ can also watch for free — that was very important to Jesse Cole, as he believes strongly in putting the fans first! We’re already looking forward to that, but we’re really hoping to catch more games happening on Disney World property — you can bet we’ll be there each and every time!

Such a fun game!

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Banana Ball and Savannah Bananas news, so stay tuned to DFB!

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Would you go to a Banana Ball game? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend the Banana Ball game at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ