On February 8, 2026, Super Bowl LX, the final match of the American football season, was held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The halftime show has long been a separate part of this event, watched by millions of viewers in the United States and abroad. This year, the audience was entertained by Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny. His performance was not limited to the performance of popular songs, but had clearly formulated cultural and social messages.
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The symbolism of Bad Bunny's performance at the 2026 Super Bowl
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance began with shots of green sugarcane fields, a crop that has long defined Puerto Rican life. The island's sugarcane has been grown and processed into sugar and rum for centuries, so the image immediately evoked the life of the people of Puerto Rico. Dancers wearing pava straw hats, a traditional symbol of the jíbaros, the island's rural workers, appeared on stage. Traditional instruments played during the performance included the Puerto Rican cuatro guitar, the güiro percussion instrument, the pandero hand drum, and maracas. The set recreated a typical urban area of the island, with a small hut, domino tables, and the atmosphere of street life.
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The artist performed his famous songs Tití Me Preguntó, NUEVAYoL, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Monaco, BAILE INOLVIDABLE, Café Con Ron and El Apagón. Bad Bunny's entire set was performed in Spanish – the first time in the history of the “Super Bowl”. The only English-language episode was the appearance of Lady Gaga, who performed Die With a Smile in a new salsa arrangement.
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Bad Bunny's entire performance was somehow dedicated to his homeland and filled with cultural symbols and messages about the history, identity and modern reality of the island. During the performance of the track Monaco, the artist addressed the audience in Spanish, gave his full name – Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – and said that his path to this stage was possible thanks to perseverance and self-belief. It was a simple and clear appeal to those who work on themselves and strive for more.
One of the strongest moments of Bad Bunny's performance was the performance of El Apagón. On stage, decorations in the form of electric poles appeared: dancers dressed as Puerto Rican villagers climbed them, after which the poles sparked and exploded. This scene directly referred to the large-scale blackouts and problems with electricity supply on the island after Hurricane Maria. At the end, the artist raised the light blue flag of Puerto Rico – a variant associated with the island's independence movement.
A highlight of the show was a scene where a family watches Bad Bunny's Grammy speech, after which the artist hands over the statuette to a little boy as a gesture of support for the next generation.
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A wedding scene also appeared during the performance. In one shot, a child is seen falling asleep on two pushed chairs in the middle of the celebration: the adults are dancing, and she is asleep next to them. This situation is typical of Puerto Rican family celebrations, where several generations gather at one table and celebrate until late.
The finale of the performance at the Super Bowl 2026 became symbolic and understandable. During the performance of Café Con Ron, the artist said in English “God bless America”. Then he listed the countries of South, Central and North America. At this time, the inscription “The only thing stronger than hate is love” appeared on the big screen of the stadium. And at the end, Bad Bunny raised a football with the inscription Together We Are America – “Together we are America”. This moment became the final and symbolic end of the Super Bowl performance.
Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga's Super Bowl 2026 look
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl look was understated and thoughtful. To begin his performance, the artist chose a white leather football jersey from Zara with the word Ocasio on the back, his mother's last name. Instead of a stage name, he took his real name to one of the most important stages in the United States, emphasizing respect for his family and his own roots.
The choice of Zara was not accidental. The artist appeared at the Grammy ceremony the day before in a couture look from Schiaparelli, so he could easily have chosen any luxury brand for the Super Bowl. However, for the show he deliberately preferred the Spanish brand. This choice seemed logical, given that most of his songs are in Spanish, and his work is closely connected with Latin American culture.
Later, during the 2026 Super Bowl, Bad Bunny appeared in a different look – a cream double-breasted blazer from Zara, complemented by cream gloves. On his wrist was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch with an 18-karat yellow gold case and a malachite dial in a rich green color. His shoes for the performance were the BadBo 1.0 sneakers from the new Bad Bunny x adidas collaboration.
Lady Gaga's look is also worth considering. The singer appeared in a blue dress from the Dominican brand Luar with a deep neckline and a multi-tiered asymmetrical skirt. The dress was complemented by expressive details. The artist chose bright red high-heeled shoes with ankle straps. She attached a red Flor de Maga flower, the official flower of Puerto Rico, to her bodice. Decorated with white beads, this flower became an important accent of the look. It was completed with earrings with diamonds in a white gold frame from the Chopard Haute Joaillerie collection.
Stars on stage at Super Bowl LX
In addition to Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny was joined on stage by Ricky Martin. He sang while sitting on white plastic chairs, the same ones that appear on the cover of Bad Bunny's album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Ricky Martin performed the song “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” from the same album. His appearance was a throwback to the 1990s, when Puerto Rican artists first gained widespread popularity in the United States.
The show also featured Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, and Jessica Alba. Toñita, the owner of the Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn, also played a special role, joining in on the performance of NUEVAYoL. The episode was a direct reference to New York's Latino community, as the Caribbean Social Club is one of the oldest social centers for the Puerto Rican diaspora.
