Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show: Performers, Time & More

Few events spark as much conversation as the Super Bowl halftime show — and the 2026 edition did something no Super Bowl had ever done before. Bad Bunny took the stage at Levi’s Stadium as the first Latino solo headliner in the game’s history, performing a set almost entirely in Spanish. With surprise appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, the Apple Music–sponsored production became both a cultural milestone and, inevitably, a flashpoint. Here’s a fact-checked look at who performed, when it happened, and why two very different halftime shows played out on the same night.

Headliner: Bad Bunny ·
Date: February 8, 2026 ·
Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA ·
Sponsor: Apple Music ·
Alternative Show: Turning Point USA All-American Halftime Show

The Super Bowl LX halftime show was defined by a clear set of logistics and performers. Here are the core details in one place.

Who will perform at the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show?

Confirmed performers

• Bad Bunny was confirmed as the headliner on September 28, 2025, by the NFL in partnership with Apple Music and Roc Nation (Wikipedia entry).
• The show marked the first time a Latino solo artist headlined the Super Bowl halftime show (Los Angeles Times culture report).
• The performance was described by the Los Angeles Times as a 13-minute Latin-fueled show (Los Angeles Times culture report).

Special guests

• Lady Gaga joined Bad Bunny for a Latin-inspired rendition of “Die With a Smile” (E Online via YouTube).
• Ricky Martin appeared on stage during the set (E Online via YouTube).
• Los Pleneros de la Cresta also performed as part of the lineup (Wikipedia entry).

The implication: the halftime show’s lineup signals a broader shift in how the NFL views its audience — not as a purely domestic, English-language viewership, but as a global one where Latin music commands massive reach.

Why is Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show?

NFL’s booking strategy

• The NFL aimed to reach a global and Latino audience with this booking, according to reporting from entertainment outlets (E Online report).
• The partnership with Apple Music and Roc Nation reflects the league’s continued investment in music as a pillar of the Super Bowl experience (Wikipedia entry).
• Bad Bunny had previously appeared as a special guest at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, giving the NFL familiarity with his stage presence (Wikipedia entry).

Bad Bunny’s appeal and record

• Bad Bunny’s commercial success made him a low-risk, high-reward choice for the NFL — his streaming numbers and global touring revenue place him among the top-earning musicians worldwide.
• The booking makes him the first Latino solo headliner in Super Bowl history, a milestone that the Los Angeles Times framed as Bad Bunny becoming “the first Latin artist to take on music’s biggest stage alone” (Los Angeles Times culture report).

The pattern: the NFL is no longer picking halftime performers based on domestic appeal alone. Every booking now has a global-audience calculus baked in, and Bad Bunny’s numbers — across streaming, touring, and social media — made that calculation straightforward.

At what time is the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show?

Start time

• The Super Bowl LX halftime show took place during the broadcast on February 8, 2026, with a typical start time around 8:00 PM ET (Wikipedia entry).
• Exact timing within the broadcast varies based on game length and commercial breaks.

Duration

• The Los Angeles Times reported that the performance ran approximately 13 minutes (Los Angeles Times culture report).
• This aligns with the standard Super Bowl halftime show length of 12–15 minutes.

The trade-off: a 13-minute window means every song selection, guest appearance, and staging choice has to earn its place. There is no room for filler, and every second is calibrated for maximum impact.

What is the alternative halftime show in 2026?

Turning Point USA lineup

• Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization, hosted an alternative halftime show billed as the “All-American Halftime Show.”
• The alternative show featured Charlie Kirk and other conservative figures, occurring at the same time as the main halftime broadcast.

Conservative counter-programming

• The alternative show was explicitly positioned as a response to the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny, framing the main halftime show as politically left-leaning.
• This dual-narrative dynamic — a mainstream multicultural celebration on one side and a conservative counter-event on the other — became one of the most talked-about aspects of Super Bowl LX.

Three key differences, one pattern: the main show leaned into global Latino culture; the alternative leaned into American conservative identity. Two different audiences, two different messages, one Super Bowl Sunday.

What this means: the alternative show is not a footnote — it’s a symptom of how polarized American culture has become. Even the Super Bowl halftime show, long a unifying cultural moment, now has a political counter-version.

How long is the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show?

Typical length

• The standard Super Bowl halftime show runs 12–15 minutes, and the Super Bowl LX show adhered to that range.
• The Los Angeles Times confirmed the 2026 show was 13 minutes long (Los Angeles Times culture report).

Comparison to past shows

• Past shows have ranged from 11 minutes (The Who, Super Bowl XLIV) to nearly 20 minutes (Dr. Dre’s 2022 set). The 13-minute runtime for Bad Bunny sits comfortably in the middle.
• What set the 2026 show apart was its density of guest appearances — Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Los Pleneros de la Cresta all shared the stage within that tight window (Wikipedia entry).

The catch: a shorter runtime forces more compression. With multiple guests and a set almost entirely in Spanish, every song choice carried extra weight — and the show earned praise for its pacing and emotional arc.

The duality of Super Bowl LX’s halftime programming — one stage celebrating Latino culture and global pop, another broadcasting a conservative American message — is a snapshot of where the country stands in 2026. For the NFL, the bet on Bad Bunny was a bet on a future where the league’s audience looks more like the world than like the traditional American football fan. For viewers at home, the choice between the two shows was about more than music — it was about which version of America they wanted to watch.

Related reading: Bad Bunny Super Bowl – 2026 Headliner History Explained · Golden Globes 2026 Winners: Full List & Ceremony Highlights