US Open Fan Week Opens With Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day and the Savannah Bananas

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day opens the 2026 US Open Fan Week in Flushing Meadows on August 23.

The 2026 US Open Fan Week begins Sunday with Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, turning the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center into a free day of tennis, music and family programming before the tournament’s main draws begin. The schedule runs from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Flushing Meadows.

The official Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day schedule frames the event as both a celebration of the 1968 US Open champion and an invitation to the next generation. Fans can watch top players practice, join tennis lessons and drills, and move through activities across the grounds. Adults need a free Fan Access Pass for entry, a new requirement for 2026.

The Savannah Bananas supply the day’s crossover attraction. Members of the baseball entertainment group take over Arthur Ashe Stadium from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for on-court games, challenges and musical numbers with US Open stars, followed by a meet-and-greet. Rising artists JayDon, SIMIEN, Maddox Batson, JYT and Iris Copperman are scheduled for the Fountain Plaza stage later in the afternoon.

There is meaningful competition on Sunday, too. A new US Open Qualifying Wild Card Challenge begins at 10 a.m. on Courts 4 through 7. Four young American men and four young American women will play semifinals and finals, with each winner earning entry into the qualifying tournament that runs Monday through Thursday.

That pathway gives Fan Week more purpose than an exhibition calendar. It introduces developing players at the same event honoring Ashe, whose athletic achievement and cultural impact expanded the meaning of opportunity in tennis. The larger week continues with qualifying, mixed doubles, practices and public events before the singles main draws begin August 30.

For families, Sunday is the most accessible doorway into the year’s final major. For young players, it is a close look at both the spectacle and the work behind elite tennis. PowerPage Sports will follow the 2026 US Open as the field moves from Fan Week into the main tournament.