AKRON, Ohio — As the snow falls in Northeast Ohio, some may already be dreaming of the warmer months to come. For those looking to make plans for the summer months, enjoy baseball and be highly entertained, Akron may have just the thing.
On June 26 and June 27, the Chili Peppers and Glow Mojis will take the field at 7 17 Credit Union Park, formerly Canal Park, to bring Cosmic Baseball to Northeast Ohio.
What is Cosmic Baseball? Think Banana Ball, but with a twist.
Chilli Peppers owner Chris Martin had an idea in 2024, wanting to mix black lights and baseball.
"We met with the lighting company and said, 'Hey, we want to do this crazy thing and install black lights into our stadium.' And they came to us and said, 'Chris, you can install 300 black lights, the chances are it's not going to work, but what we'll do for you, we're going to do research and development, we're going to create a black light and see what happens," Martin said.
Six months of testing, and Martin was presented with a first-of-its-kind mega black light. The high-powered bulbs are strong enough to light a baseball field at night and make fluorescent colors pop in the stands—and on the field.
"We install 100 black lights throughout the entire stadium, we build them on top of the stadium and around the whole facility, and then we have to angle them all towards the fans and onto the field to make sure that everything's reacting appropriately," Martin said.
The idea was a little out there, but it came together, and Cosmic Baseball was born.
"From 2024, when we launched Cosmic Baseball, we sold out our stadium. Our stadium's a pretty small stadium here in Richmond, Virginia, and sold out in hours. And it was super exciting. Then going in 2025, going on tour, going to seven different cities, we sold out every stadium we went to—the largest stadium being over 12,000 seat capacity. We sold out two games in every stadium we went to in hours," Martin said. "I mean, the demand was just so incredibly fast to now in 2026, going on a 30-city tour and going to Akron."
The games are pure family fun. Things start off in the daylight with players competing hard on the baseball diamond while also providing pure entertainment. There are some unique quirky features in the game, dancing included, but nothing compares to when the sun goes down.
Those special black lights kick on and the party begins.
"Our players are doing the entertainment style of ball for about an hour and then we have a really fun intermission with all of our fans, just creating the energy, and then it transitions to black light and our guys are playing with UV-reactive balls, hats, jerseys, the whole bit. Just creating the craziest environment you can imagine," Martin said.
When the black lights come on, everything glows. Each game is unique to the stadium. Some chose to use UV-reactive dust, so when players slide, it stirs up an extra glow. Others pop fluorescent confetti. All of them aim to bring a show to the baseball field.
"Every stadium is so unique and every stadium does things a little bit different. So it's really cool," Martin said. "We have motion lights, we do a ton of motion lights, we have lasers, we do a lot of smoke, we do a ton of confetti. It's not just black light either. I mean, it is legitimately the largest party most of our fans have ever been in."
The game has grown tremendously in just a year and continues to do so. The June 27 game in Akron sold out quickly, so Cosmic Baseball added a second day on Friday, June 26.
Demand is high, so fans looking to attend a game need to enter the Cosmic Lottery in order to buy tickets, but as Martin said, it's a must-see event this summer in Akron.
"This is something that you have never seen, and it's so unique that you will be blown away when you come out to the ballpark and you're just glowing. There's a different level of energy," Martin said. "They're glowing, you see the kids out there, they're jumping and screaming. It is something that you have never seen before and it's just fun. It's a lot of fun."
To enter the Comis Lottery for tickets to the June 26 game, click here.
