Iowa City and the surrounding area saw a surge of visitors over the July 4 weekend, driven largely by two sold-out Savannah Bananas games at Kinnick Stadium, according to data released Wednesday, July 8 by Greater Iowa City, Inc.
The Savannah Bananas played at Kinnick Stadium on July 3 and July 4, drawing a combined 176,400 visitors. Of that total, 154,879 people, or 88%, traveled from outside Johnson County, and 30,000, or 17%, traveled from out of state, according to Greater Iowa City. Both games were sold out, despite a rain delay of more than two hours for Friday’s game.
Think Iowa City estimated the weekend generated more than $20 million in economic activity.
The Kinnick Stadium crowds were part of a broader wave of visitors to Johnson County during the holiday weekend. According to the data, the county recorded 279,000 total visitors from outside the county between July 3 and July 4, who stayed in town an average of more than six hours. Nearly 30,000 visitors stayed in area hotels.
Other events contributed to the weekend’s visitor totals, Greater Iowa City reported. North Liberty’s Fanfare & Flight, held July 2 at Centennial Park, drew more than 6,000 visitors, 51% of whom lived outside North Liberty. Coralville’s annual 4thFest, held July 3 and 4 at S.T. Morrison Park, also drew a number of visitors, though the release noted that weather affected some of this year’s events, including the cancellation of a scheduled Big and Rich concert. And the Iowa City Jazz Festival was expecting as many as 25,000 visitors July 3-5, though specific attendance numbers weren’t available.
The weekend followed the Iowa City Downtown District’s Block Party on June 27, which drew more than 54,000 visitors downtown. Of those attendees, 57% traveled from outside Iowa City and 43% traveled from outside Johnson County, with more than 31% staying overnight in an Iowa City hotel.
The figures come from the Tourism & Civic Life section of Greater Iowa City, Inc.’s Community Data Dashboard, which also reported that Johnson County welcomed 4.5 million visitors in 2025, representing all 50 states. Direct visitor spending in the county rose each year from 2022 to 2024, increasing from $264 million to more than $475 million, according to the dashboard.
