You say, “Touch grass.” We raise you one better and say, “Become Bad Bunny grass.”
During his historic 2026 Super Bowl Halftime show, Bad Bunny paid homage to his roots and culture with a love letter to Puerto Rico and all of the Americas. The Piragua Stand. The Casita. A unifying message of love. For a few hundred lucky fans, it was a night to be part of history: They had the opportunity to dress up as grass and replicate the bushes surrounding one of Puerto Rico’s most famous and historically influential crops: sugarcane.
Though once vital to the economy of the American territory, Puerto Rico’s sugar plantations evolved to represent the destruction and exploitation of colonialism that continues to impact the region today—a detail not lost on those cast as grass. San Francisco-based Sam Giacometti, who saw the application for a spot on the field float on TikTok in early January, recalls production sitting everyone down to discuss the importance of their costume.
“Bad Bunny hand-selected the grass for the costumes because of how much it means to him and Puerto Rico,” Giacometti tells Vogue hours after stepping off the field. “It tied into the entire show, and production wanted to make sure we understood and felt really proud of being part of honoring Bad Bunny’s heritage and culture.”
PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images
The Casting Process
So how does one become Bad Bunny sugarcane grass? Giacometti says that signing up was simple. The few requirements the application listed out were a height requirement (you must be between 5’7 and 6’1), the ability to carry 30 to 40 pounds (the grass costume was not listed on the application. That reveal would come during the second rehearsal), and experience in a marching band or fundamental understanding creating formations (though there was no serious background check for this). Two weeks after applying, he and others got the call.
Rehearsals
Once cast, Giacometti and the hundreds of others came in for a handful of rehearsals. He says the job of the “grass” was to stand still and make sure they were always in the right position for all the camera angles. They had to shift out of frame when dancers would come in. The costume itself consisted of a balaclava to cover their heads, a green sweatshirt, sweatpants, gloves, goggles, a velcro tunic, and the grass leaves. Thirty to 40 costume design and wardrobe helpers attended to the “grass” members, helping them go fully green in just a few minutes. Because the grass covered most of their vision, rehearsals were key in getting the movements down just right.
And while one would think it would be tempting to play around and become a viral moment once on the field (ahem, Left Shark), Giacometti says that everyone was very mindful of the parts they were playing during the performance. “The production team said, ‘It’s so tempting to want to become a meme, to move around, to be silly. But anytime when you do this movement, you’re taking the spotlight away from what is otherwise such a powerful and uplifting message,’” Giacometti says. “We want the message to be at the forefront of the story. We don’t want people moving in the grass to take away from the power that is this performance.”
Game Day
Everything went off without a hitch. Giacometti says that everyone took their parts seriously and just wanted to honor Bad Bunny’s vision. Once the show was over (and the NDAs were clear), many of Giacometti’s fellow grass members took to social media to reveal what they’ve been keeping in secret for months and continue the celebration. “POV: You meet the height requirement for Benito Bowl,” shared dancer Humberto on TikTok.