Joy fills Humboldt Park during ‘Benito Bowl’ halftime show watch party: 'It’s a good day to be Puerto Rican'

Some fans were settling in to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots, but others were tuning in to see Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny take the Super Bowl stage for the halftime show.

Bad Bunny headlined Sunday’s performance, which some fans dubbed the “Benito Bowl.” The 31-year-old, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is the first Spanish-language solo artist to headline a halftime show.

In Humboldt Park, Chicago’s largest Puerto Rican neighborhood, organizers of the annual Fiestas Puertorriqueñas hosted a watch party at their VIP Residencia pop-up space at 2701 W. Division St.

The event drew dozens who cheered for the singer and sang along to his top reggaeton hits throughout the 13-minute performance. Instead of wearing their favorite team’s jersey, partygoers wore Puerto Rican flags, Bad Bunny T-shirts and pavas, traditional Puerto Rican straw hats.

Organizer Melissa Gomez said she wanted to create an event that would bring the community together, and Bad Bunny’s performance provided the perfect occasion to do just that.

“Bad Bunny always has shown his love for his community. For Puerto Ricans and for all Latinos,” Gomez said.

That message came through during his performance, which featured men, women and children on a set reminiscent of Puerto Rico. He closed the show with a parade of flags from countries representing North, Central and South America, ending with the message “Together, we are America.”

The performance also included cameos from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.

“I’m feeling really so proud,” said Evelyn Cato, 60, of Logan Square. “Despite all of the negativity, he’s brought communities together.”

Bad Bunny’s performance drew both anticipation and controversy. Many fans were eager to see him headline the show, but it also sparked backlash from conservatives. The singer has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policies and recently spoke out, saying "ICE out" during his recent Grammy Awards acceptance speech.

Trump posted on social media that the performance was “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”

Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk, organized an alternative, "All-American" halftime show that was promoted by Vice President J.D. Vance and featured headliner Kid Rock.

Gomez said there was “no better choice” for a halftime performer than Bad Bunny, who has been Spotify's top-streaming artist for four of the last six years.

“I've always loved watching the performances, no matter who it is,” she said. “The Super Bowl halftime has always been the top-charting artist at the time, and that's Benito right now.”

Bad Bunny first appeared on the Super Bowl stage during the 2020 halftime show, when he joined headliners Shakira and Jennifer Lopez as a guest performer.

Erika Latines, 49, who showed up at the party in her favorite Bad Bunny T-shirt, said the singer is one of the few artists who uses their platform to speak out against injustice.

“His messages are not just for Latinos, it’s for humanity,” Latines said.

Latines, who lives on the South Side, said Chicago “needed” to be able to gather and celebrate after several neighborhoods were recently targeted by Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign that saw hundreds of federal agents fanning out across neighborhoods, stoking fear.

“The Super Bowl brings us together, not because of the NFL, but because of who we are as a community,” she said.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) was among the crowd and said she joined to show support for a small business and pride for her Puerto Rican heritage.

“It’s a good day to be Puerto Rican,” she said.

Fuentes also added it was important for Latino communities to share in joy after communities across the country have been “terrorized” by the Trump administration.

“It’s an exciting day to resist and to show the world that Latinos belong here,” she said.