The Tamesis
You say, “Touch the grass.” We raise you better and say, “Be the bad bunny grass.”
During his historic 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance, Bad Bunny wrote a love letter to Puerto Rico and all of the Americas, paying homage to his roots and culture. Piragua Stand. Casita. A unified message of love. For hundreds of lucky fans, it was a night to become part of history: They had the chance to dress up as grass and replicate the scrub surrounding one of Puerto Rico’s most famous and historically influential crops: sugar cane.
While Puerto Rico’s sugar plantations were once vital to the U.S. territory’s economy, they have evolved into a symbol of the devastation and exploitation of colonialism that still affects the region today—a detail that doesn’t go unnoticed by those treated as grass. San Francisco native Sam Giacometti saw the live application on TikTok in early January and recalled everyone sitting down during production to discuss the importance of the costumes.
“Bad Bunny hand-selected the grass used for the costume because it means so much to him and Puerto Rico,” Giacometti said Fashion A few hours after leaving the field. “It ties into the show as a whole, and the production team wants to make sure we understand and are proud to be part of a tradition and culture that honors Bad Bunny.”
Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images
casting process
So what does it take to become a Bad Bunny Cane Grass? Giacometti said registration is simple. A few requirements listed on the application are a height requirement (must be between 5’7″ and 6’1″), the ability to carry 30 to 40 pounds (grass clothing is not listed on the application. This will be revealed at the second rehearsal), and experience in a marching band or basic understanding of creating formations (although there is no rigorous background check for this). Two weeks after applying, he and others got the call.
rehearse
Once cast, Giacometti and hundreds of others attended some rehearsals. He said the “grass” was there to stand still and make sure they were always in the right position for all camera angles. When dancers come in, they have to move out of the frame. The costume itself consists of a balaclava that covers the head, a green sweatshirt, sweatpants, gloves, goggles, Velcro outerwear and blades of grass. 30 to 40 costume designers and costume assistants provide services to “Grass” members, helping them turn completely green in just a few minutes. With grass blocking much of their view, rehearsals were key to getting the moves just right.
While one would think it’s tempting to play on the field and have a viral moment (ahem, left shark), Giacometti said everyone is very mindful of the role they play in the performance. “The production team said, ‘It’s tempting to want to be a meme and move around and be silly. But any time you do that, you take the spotlight away from what could be such a powerful and uplifting message,'” Giacometti said. “We wanted the message to be at the forefront of the story. We didn’t want people to walk around on the grass and take away the power of the show.”
match day
Everything went smoothly. Giacometti said everyone took their roles seriously and just wanted to fulfill Bad Bunny’s vision. After the performance (and the confidentiality agreement being clarified), many members of Giacometti’s rank and file took to social media to reveal secrets they had been keeping for months and continue the celebrations. “POV: You meet the height requirements for Benito Bowl,” dancer Humberto shared on TikTok.
