Going Bananas: Columbia’s Five Points gets peel of excitement at bar crawl

Columbia buzzed with excitement as the Banana Bar Crawl brought a night of lively fun to the heart of Five Points. 

The Saturday night event was a hit among locals and students, offering an unforgettable night out for all involved. It invited participants to wear banana suits while hopping between various bars.

The Banana Bar Crawl, which began as a viral phenomenon in Toronto, quickly expanded across North America.

“It went super viral in Canada,” said Noah Battagii, head of operations and experience at Banana Bar Crawl, which organizes the outings. “We went to about 15 cities in the span of a month. We felt like it was a really fun idea that people seemed to enjoy, so we wanted to bring it to college towns in the U.S. We’ve done 50 cities already, and we’re going to do 60 by the end of April.”

Columbia brought together college students and locals in a way that only a banana-themed crawl could. A steady flow of bright yellow banana costumes rotated between different locations throughout the evening, including bars such as Touchdowns, Saloon and Group Therapy.

The layout of the crawl was structured to keep the action moving, with designated times for participants to visit each bar. This prevented overcrowding at any one location while maintaining a constant buzz in the Five Points area near the University of South Carolina’s campus.

Touchdowns General Manager Thomas Dugas was excited.

 “Having close to 1,000 people in Five Points on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., which is a little bit earlier than we typically get busy, will be great for us,” he said before the event kicked off. “We’re a new bar, so I’m sure that there’s still plenty of students and Columbia residents that haven’t been here yet. … We definitely hope we can make a great first impression and potentially secure some future business.”

The Banana Bar Crawl offered more than just the chance to visit new bars.

 “I’m having a great time,” said USC student Michael Cooper. “I feel like I just do the same thing every weekend, go to the same bars. And I wanted to try something different this time — something I’ve never done before.”

The silliness of wearing banana costumes in public brought out a spirit of carefree fun.

 “I feel like everyone is just so happy and having a blast,” said Gage Hulbert, another participant. “This is awesome, why would anyone want to pass up an opportunity to walk around in a banana suit and it be completely normal? We will probably never get an opportunity like this again.”

Would-be banana people bought tickets online and picked up their costumes before the crawl. The event saw a major turnout, with 1,100 banana suits sent to Columbia, Battagii said. Tickets ranged from $20 to $27, depending on how close to the event the tickets were purchased.

For the Banana Bar Crawl team, the success of the event is clear.

“The coolest part is we see that people legitimately have the time of their lives,” Battagii said.