What is Banana Pass?

Banana Pass is a relay race in one breath: teams lie down heads-to-toe and pass a banana down the line using only their feet, and the last player has to peel it, eat it, and run back to finish. Hands never touch it, from the first pass to the last bite.

It works because the format makes the mess collective. Everyone in the line is complicit in whatever happens to that banana by the time it reaches the end, and the team that communicates best — calling out when to grab, when to lift — is the one that gets it there in one piece. The eating part is where the real laughter lands.

It needs real outdoor space and players old enough to balance and coordinate with their feet, so skip it for remote teams, tight indoor rooms, or younger kids — a seated or standing icebreaker covers the same ground without the ground.

The rules

Split into teams of 7–10 and lie down heads-to-toe, about 2 feet between each player.
The first player grabs the banana with their feet and passes it over their head to the next person's feet.
Each player receives the banana with their feet and passes it on the same way.
Hands stay out of it — feet only, start to finish.
The last player peels the banana, eats the whole thing, then sprints back to the starting line.
First team to finish eating and cross back over the starting line wins.

Before you start

Group size: 14–100 players, in teams of 7–10. You need at least two teams to race, so 14 is the floor. Beyond that, add teams in parallel lines up to 100.
Space: an outdoor area, one line per team. Each team lies down in a straight line, head to toe. Check the ground for obstacles or hazards before anyone lies down — a foot-passed banana is hard enough without a tripping hazard mid-relay.
Materials: at least one banana per team. Set each team's banana near the head of its first player before you start.
Mark the lines. A start line and a finish line per team, ideally with cones, flags, or other markers so the path is obvious.
Age check. Best for players 10 and up — the balance and coordination it takes to pass with your feet is a stretch for younger kids.

How to run it

Form teams and lie down 3–5 min
Split players into teams of 7–10 and have each team lie down on the ground in a straight line, heads at one end, feet at the other, about 2 feet between each teammate's head and the next person's toes.
Place the bananas 1 min
Put at least one banana near the head of the first player in each line.
Explain the rules 2 min
Say it once, clearly: the banana travels down the line using feet only, and the last player peels it, eats it, and runs back to the starting line to finish the race for their team.
Start the relay 30 sec
Signal all teams at once. The first player in each line grabs the banana with their feet and passes it over their head to the next person's feet.
Pass it down the line 10–15 min
Each player receives the banana with their feet and passes it on, all the way to the last teammate.
Eat it and run 2–3 min
The last player peels the banana, eats the whole thing, then runs back to the starting line.
Call the winner 1 min
The first team whose last runner crosses back over the starting line, banana fully eaten, wins.

← nobody's hands ever touch the banana. that's the whole bit.

Facilitator tips

Offer a banana alternativeSome players have allergies or just don't want to eat a foot-passed banana — swap in a bean bag or soft ball for those teams so everyone can still play.

Adapt for physical limitationsIf reaching or moving quickly with your feet isn't realistic for someone, let them use their hands, widen the gap between teammates, or give their team extra time.

Mix ability levels on every teamPut fast runners and players with strong foot dexterity on the same team, so both skills matter and no team is stuck relying on just one.

Set the tone before the whistleSay out loud that this is about laughing together, not winning at all costs — it keeps the mess fun instead of competitive in the wrong way.

Why it works

Coordination you can't fakePassing an object with your feet, blind, over your own head, only works if the team calls out timing to each other. There's no silent way to do this one.

Shared, ridiculous discomfortEating a banana that's traveled down a line of feet is objectively gross, and everyone in line knows it's coming. That shared dread turns into shared laughter the moment the last player takes a bite.

A story that outlasts the relayWhoever eats the banana becomes "the banana person" for the rest of the event. It's an instant, unearned nickname, and nobody forgets who volunteered.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"This is the one I bring out when a group needs to move and laugh at the same time. It's high-energy, it's a little gross, and it's over fast enough that even the reluctant players are glad they joined in."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For groups that want to talk about it afterward — a few minutes of these turn the relay into an actual conversation.

What was your first reaction to hearing you'd pass a banana with your feet?Gets at how people approach an unusual, slightly absurd assignment before they've tried it.
How did it feel when it was your turn to eat the banana?A direct read on comfort with mess and with being watched — answers vary a lot by person.
Did your team's communication improve as the relay went on?Surfaces whether the team found a rhythm, and what they said out loud to get there.
What did this game show you about handling something unpredictable?Passing a banana with your feet rarely goes to plan — this asks what people noticed about their own adaptability.
Where else could you use what worked here?Moves the conversation from the game itself to the teamwork it took to win it.