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Party on! 'Banana Ball' returns to Isotopes Park next season
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Part circus act, part baseball, “Banana Ball” is returning to Albuquerque next year, the Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball Club announced Friday.
The Party Animals, members of the “Banana Ball” league, will open their world tour May 24-25 in Albuquerque following last season’s back-to-back sold-out shows between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals.
Party Animals player and Albuquerque native Drew Gillespie described pitching in the April games at Isotopes Park in front of his hometown crowd as “one of the top five experiences of (his) life.”
It was a full circle moment for a player who first set foot on the Isotopes diamond as a Little Leaguer.
“It was a blast to get to play here last year,” Gillespie said on Friday. “... And then getting to bring our show back home again next year is very special for me.”
The Savannah Bananas are to baseball as the Harlem Globetrotters are to basketball and have spawned at least three other “Banana Ball” barnstorming teams, including the Party Animals and the Texas Tailgaters, who will play each other at Isotopes Park next season.
“Banana Ball” bends the rules of baseball and aims to bring smiles to faces through a blend of theatrical absurdity and athleticism.
“The whole gist is for everyone in the stadium, including the players, fans, workers, anybody involved in the atmosphere of the game, to leave with a smile on their face and want to come back,” Gillespie said.
A pitcher at Sandia High School, Gillespie later played for the University of New Mexico and Southeastern University in Florida. After college, Gillespie was persuaded by his mom, Sharon Walton, to try out for the Party Animals in 2023 and has been pitching for them ever since.
Walton said when her son was in youth baseball, coaches and teammates would him “Hollywood” for his performative nature.
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“It was actually the thing I always tried to change,” Walton said, “I’d say ‘don’t get so emotional son’.”
But, Walton said, she eventually accepted and encouraged Gillespie’s antics. Now, Gillespie’s escapades on the field are exactly what make him perfect for a sport like “Banana Ball,” Walton said.
That personality shines through in his signature Party Animals attire — a pink bandana and colorful armbands.
In April, Gillespie entered Isotopes Park alongside a small hot air balloon. He wouldn’t say how he would top last season’s grand entrance, but promised fans a game full of surprises.
“Banana Ball” teams have drawn more than a million fans to ballparks, stadiums and other venues this year, the Associated Press reported.
Tickets for the Party Animals vs. Texas Tailgaters game will drop two months prior to their May 24-25 games.
To get tickets, most fans must first join a Ticket Lottery. A random drawing will take place about two months before the event and those selected will then have an opportunity to purchase tickets. For information, visit https://www.bbwt25ticketlotto.fansfirsttickets.com/.
Albuquerque Isotopes 2025 season ticket holders will have an option to purchase tickets before they are made available via the lottery.
Tickets are $35 for those ages 4 and older, free for those 3 and under as long as they sit on a lap.
For information, go to bananaball.com.
