Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime debut sparked emotional watch parties in Sacramento, as Latino fans celebrated history, culture and unity together.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Latino community in the Sacramento area said they witnessed history Sunday when Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, a moment many described as emotional and powerful.
At Maya Cantina in West Sacramento, hundreds of fans packed the restaurant to watch the performance, cheering and gasping as the artist took the stage after months of anticipation. The halftime show drew an estimated 135 million viewers nationwide.
For Kamali Spence, who is from Puerto Rico, seeing Bad Bunny perform on such a massive stage carried deep personal meaning.
“I’m celebrating my country, I’m celebrating Bad Bunny. I’m celebrating our culture,” Spence said.
The co-founder of Maya Cantina said the restaurant partnered with a promoter to show the game, drawing a crowd largely from the Latino community.
Daniel Maya said Bad Bunny’s presence was a major reason for the turnout.
“I feel like one of the biggest reasons, great turnout today is because of Bad Bunny performing at halftime at the Super Bowl, or else I don’t feel a lot of Latinos would have came out and supported. To watch the Super Bowl, but I feel like it kinda brought, brought new, new eyes to the NFL, said Maya.
Bad Bunny made history as the first Spanish-language Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Valdemar Arroyo, who is Mexican, said the performance offered hope during a time when his community feels pressure.
“Everybody that’s been here from the beginning is here, will be here, and you know we’ll transcend even this point in time in history,” said Arroyo.
Fans said the performance emphasized unity, pointing to elements such as a sign reading “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” and a real wedding held during the show.
Cherimae Vail, a Filipino fan, said the message went beyond language.
“I feel a message. You don’t need to speak the language, you need to feel the message,” said Vail.
Bad Bunny has also drawn attention for political statements. During the Grammys earlier this month, he demanded “ICE out” while accepting the Album of the Year award. Spence said she agreed with his stance.
“I agree with everything that he says, yes, keep eyes out. We are all humans. We’re all here representing the same things. We’re all here with the strange struggles and we’re very proud of who we are. There’s no ill intent in our hearts,” said Spence.
Others said that regardless of political beliefs, the halftime show focused on music and bringing people together.
Jose Hernandez of Royalty Ballet Marketing LLC said events at Maya Cantina for previous Super Bowls drew strong crowds, but Sunday stood out.
“When the Forty-Niners have been in the Super Bowl, we’ve hosted the events here. They’re a great turnout, but today definitely outdid that. So even if it wasn’t a local team, I feel like Benito really brought everybody together,” said Hernandez.
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