From pava hats and white clothing to la casita and the marqueta, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl half-time show at California's Levi’s Stadium was filled with references to his Puerto Rican heritage, functioning as a broader celebration of the island’s history and cultural contribution.
Here are some of the references that appeared during the set.
1. Sugarcane farms and rural roots
Bad Bunny opened his performance with scenes depicting Puerto Rico’s agricultural heritage. We saw farmers, known as campesinos, cutting sugarcane, a pillar of Puerto Rico’s agricultural landscape.
2. Puerto Rican society revolves around the home
The replica house at the centre of the field may not have been distinguishable from the structure built for Bad Bunny’s record-breaking Puerto Rico residency and which is set to feature in his coming world tour, but la casita, as it is called, is an idea central to Puerto Rican culture – that of the home as a social space shared with family and the wider community. People gather and pass through the home, and music always emanates from the windows.
3. The marqueta and neighbourhood life
Surrounding the la casita set was the marqueta, a hub of cafes, small grocery shops and street sellers. These markets are central to local life on the island, functioning as social hubs rather than destination retail spaces.
4. Wedding scenes as communal rituals
The wedding sequence, reportedly a real nuptial ceremony with Bad Bunny serving as witness, showed ho such moments bring communities together. We saw families and friends dance and mingle, as children slept on chairs while their parents revelled late into the evening.
5. The significance of white clothing
Bad Bunny, as well as many of the backing performers were dressed in white, particularly during communal scenes. In Puerto Rico, white is commonly associated with celebrations and ceremonies and is also linked to Afro-Puerto Rican spiritual traditions of cleansing and renewal.
6. Ricky Martin’s appearance
Ricky Martin’s contribution was brief but no less poignant. He delivered a near-a cappella rendition of Lo Que Le Paso a Hawaii, a song from Bad Bunny’s Debi Tirar Mas Fotos album that reflects on Puerto Rico’s land and memory.
The moment carried added weight, coming nearly 35 years after the release of Martin’s self-titled debut album, which helped position him as one of the first Puerto Rican artists to achieve sustained global pop success. His appearance felt less like a guest slot than a passing of the torch to a new generation of stars from the island.
7. Afro-Puerto Rican percussion and dance
While Lady Gaga added extra star power, performing Die With a Smile in a salsa-styled arrangement, the backing band and dancers were equally notable. The Puerto Rican music ensemble Los Pleneros de la Cresta and troupe Escuela de Bomba y Plena may not be widely known beyond the island, but their percussion and choreography draws directly on Afro-Puerto Rican traditions rooted in Puerto Rico’s African heritage.
8. Puerto Rican artists and Reggaeton history
A brief reference to Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina acknowledged Puerto Rico’s foundational role in reggaeton’s global rise. The moment was intentionally short. Released in 2004, the song marked the genre’s crossover from clubs to international charts and became the first reggaeton song to be nominated for Latin Grammy Record of the Year. Other reggaeton pioneers were also referenced, with snippets of Tego Calderon’s Pa’ Que Retozen and Don Omar’s Dale Don Dale, released in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
9. Daily ordeal of power cuts
During El Apagon, Bad Bunny climbed an electricity pole, turning infrastructure into image. The song addresses displacement, corruption and rolling power cuts in Puerto Rico caused by long-standing economic mismanagement and political neglect.
10. Pava hats and rural identity
Traditional pava hats appeared throughout the performance. They are associated with rural Puerto Rican life and are worn by jibaros, the local term for farmers and field workers, particularly those working on sugarcane and coffee plantations. Over time, the pava has become an emblem of the island’s countryside and cultural heritage, carrying associations of self-sufficiency and endurance.
11. Sapo Concho toad
The image of the crested toad is a motif of Bad Bunny’s album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos and tour. Native to Puerto Rico, the endangered species is used as an image evoking the country’s ties to its environment and heritage.
