Downtown El Paso is getting taken over by Banana Ball this weekend, with two sold-out games locked in at Southwest University Park and thousands of fans expected to pour in. The Texas Tailgaters and the Firefighters are set for back-to-back showdowns on Friday and Saturday, May 15–16, and local organizers say the high-energy, fan-first baseball spectacle should give nearby hotels, restaurants, and bars a healthy bump.
The official tour schedule has both El Paso dates marked "Sold Out," according to Banana Ball. The El Paso stop first hit the radar when the El Paso Chihuahuas announced it and urged fans to jump into the tour’s ticket lottery system, per a press release on MiLB.com.
What To Expect On Game Day
Southwest University Park and city partners are planning to turn the area around the stadium into a mini street festival. A pregame street party along Santa Fe Street is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m., with gates to the ballpark opening at 5:30 p.m. Park officials told local media they are bracing for thousands of fans across the two nights, according to KTSM 9 News.
Banana Ball’s Economic Pull
Organizers and downtown merchants are hoping all that buzz translates into serious weekend spending. In other cities, Banana Ball stops have been major money-makers: Charlotte’s regional visitors authority pegged the impact of a recent Bananas weekend at an estimated $38.6 million, according to Axios. The ballpark’s own event calendar lists the El Paso dates and shows Southwest University Park positioning itself as a hub for large, attention-grabbing events this year, per Southwest University Park.
For fans who missed out on face-value seats, the tour runs a ticket interest list and lottery; details and sign-up are available on Banana Ball. Anyone eyeing the resale market should be ready for steep markups and stick to verified resale channels if they decide to chase last-minute tickets.
