Bad Bunny promises huge party at Moscone before Super Bowl, avoids ICE

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, used a packed Moscone Center press session on Feb. 5 to cast his Super Bowl LX halftime show as a celebration aimed at broad audiences and San Francisco attention. The artist told Apple Music Radio hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden that the performance set for Sunday, Feb. 8 will be “a huge party,” and repeatedly emphasized that he wants people to enjoy the moment.

Billboard noted the headliner interview began at 10:30 a.m. local time as media from around the world gathered in Moscone Center West. A DJ spun Latin hits and reggaetón before his arrival - including De La Ghetto and Randy Nota Loca’s “Sensación del Bloque,” Los Diablitos’ “Los Caminos de la Vida,” and Monchy y Alexandra’s “Hoja en Blanco,” alongside tracks from his “Trap Bunny” era - underscoring the global music industry focus on the event.

Variety captured the lighter rehearsal details, reporting that Bad Bunny has been “eating Smashburgers” and “thinking about the Super Bowl Halftime Show at 4 a.m.” while balancing ongoing tour dates. He framed the halftime set as cultural expression, saying he wants to bring “a lot of my culture” to the stage but “I really don't, I don't want to give any spoilers. It's going to be fun.” He added, “They don’t even have to learn Spanish. It’s better if they learn to dance,” and described dance as “the heartbeat dance” viewers need to worry about and enjoy.

Local political sensitivity surfaced in KQED’s reporting: the outlet said Bad Bunny “did not reiterate his recent on-stage criticism of ICE” during the moderated appearance, even as speculation circulated about whether he would use the high-profile platform to press immigration policy arguments. NBC Sports described the session as free of controversy and quoted the artist emphasizing a low-pressure mindset: “I’m trying to enjoy it... Trying to not put pressure on [it].”

Personal notes threaded through the session. AP reported he walked out to his 2017 single “Chambea,” and when student journalists asked who first believed in him, he named “My mom,” saying her faith in him as a person helped bring him to this stage. Billboard and other outlets tied the moment to his recent run of recognition - he entered the week fresh off a 2026 Grammy Album of the Year win for Debi Tirar Mas Fotos.

For San Francisco, the Moscone event is more than a celebrity photo op. The concentrated media presence and the run-up to a nationally televised halftime show bring increased foot traffic for hotels, restaurants, and local vendors, and raise the profile of SoMa nightlife and cultural venues. City officials and businesses now face a compressed window of operations and security planning ahead of the Feb. 8 broadcast.

What comes next for readers is the show itself on Sunday and the local ripple effects in downtown San Francisco - from hospitality upticks to heightened media coverage - as the city hosts a global music moment that the artist insists is meant to be a big, inclusive party.