When it comes to events and DLC, Nintendo have certainly gone all out for Donkey Kong Bananza. Indeed, in addition to the Emerald Rush DLC itself, they’ve also had a plethora of monthly events for the mode too, with statues of various Kongs, Animal Buddies and villains all up for grabs.
But it seems the event craziness isn’t going to end there. Why? Because in today’s Nintendo Direct, the company also revealed another kind of event for the game. A Mario themed one designed to tie-in to the 40th anniversary of the latter series.
And well, to say it’s a weird time is quite the understatement. In addition to DK having a Mario themed costume and Pauline having a Luigi one, the event makes all Emerald Rush playthroughs far more Mario themed than ever before.
The Banandium Chips are now coins. The tuning fork checkpoints are now the checkpoint flags from the Mario series. ? blocks replace treasure chests and mushrooms replace apples.
Heck, there’s even a new Mario themed Emerald Rush song to go with it! It’s quite the change for the game, and completely changes the way it feels.
Of course, it’s a limited time deal here. The Mario themed event will only take place on the following dates, most of which correlate to upcoming Emerald Rush events:
Mario Event Dates for DK Bananza
- Wave 1: June 9th to June 30th 2026
- Wave 2: July 14th to July 21st 2026
- Wave 3: August 4th to August 11th 2026
- Wave 4: August 21st to September 1st 2026
So, if you’re interested in trying out, you’d better get going. Or at least, put your Switch 2 into aeroplane mode after one of those dates.
Regardless, check out the trailer for the DLC here:
Then tell us your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Discord server today!
Source:
Donkey Kong Bananza DLC ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Collaboration – Nintendo Direct 6.9.2026 (YouTube)