SEATTLE — Seattle's excitement ahead of Super Bowl Sunday extends to the halftime show — and local businesses are joining in on the buzz around the performer, Bad Bunny.

While many will tune into the National Football League's championship game Sunday to watch the Seattle Seahawks clash with the New England Patriots, some viewers are solely dedicated to seeing Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — the Puerto Rican rapper and singer who goes by the name Bad Bunny — seize the stage at halftime.

Business owners in Seattle are leaping on the chance to cater to football fans and music lovers by selling merchandise and holding events that center the musician and his trendy tunes. Even the Seahawks Pro Shop is slinging a collection of apparel featuring an illustrated Puerto Rican crested toad, Bad Bunny's signature Sapo Concho."

"It's sports. It's pop culture. It's a collective moment that we share, and there are very few of those anymore," said Maura Hardman, marketing and public relations manager at Seattle Cider Company.

The taproom will host a Bad Bunny watch party on Sunday for all those reasons — "and we also have some Bad Bunny fans on my team," Hardman added, laughing.

Bad Bunny events

Several of the city's well-known entities are playing into the buzz around the star and his trendy música urbana tunes.

Pacific Science Center is holding "Laser Bad Bunny," an evening laser show scheduled for every Saturday night in February — even after the Super Bowl.

The nonprofit science museum held its first Bad Bunny laser show in 2022, according to Julie O'Mara, director of marketing and membership. President and CEO Will Daugherty had the idea.

"We need to capitalize on trends that are happening and build programming around names that are coming up," said O'Mara. "With Bad Bunny, right now, it's doing particularly well."

The Super Bowl generates even further hype.

It "does create a great opportunity for us to be an extension of that and another communal space for people to come and experience music in a little bit of a different way," said Kelsey Elliott, the nonprofit's advancement marketing manager.

A couple of challenges remain with the laser shows: In the past, programs in languages that aren't English haven't been as popular, O'Mara said. The Pacific Science Center is also generally trying to attract more visitors to its Laser Dome.

"If we could get to those target audiences more effectively, we would be able to expand and even have more diverse programming as a result," O'Mara said.

Tickets for Laser Bad Bunny are $16 for adults. That money is reinvested into the nonprofit, O'Mara said.

Seattle Cider's upcoming Bad Bunny watch party counts as a last hurrah before the taproom shutters on Feb. 27. Oregon's 2 Towns Ciderhouse purchased Seattle Cider last month, and production is moving to Corvallis.

Seattle Cider's team planned the free event before the Seahawks were set to play in the Super Bowl. Hardman, 44, said the party opens up the taproom to a broader audience beyond football fans.

"It makes good business sense for a taproom that has televisions to make it known that we're a great space to watch the Super Bowl," she said.

Efforts by local businesses have caught the attention of the Seattle area's Bad Bunny enthusiasts like Gricelda Montes, a popular social media content creator.

She plans to attend "Benito de Noche," a Bad Bunny-inspired event at Capitol Hill's Bonito Café y Mercadito, which is scheduled for Super Bowl weekend.

"The Seahawks and Bad Bunny together — that's, like, the perfect scenario," Montes, 34, said in a phone interview.

As the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Jalisco, Montes appreciates how Bad Bunny has used his platform to give back to Puerto Rico and uplift the Caribbean island's culture.

"I really love that he's exposing everyone around the world to Latin music," she said. "I love to see Latinos succeed."

'There for Bad Bunny'

Small-business owners are reaping the benefits of Bad Bunny fandom.

Customers are flocking to Jesus Elizalde-Lindgren's online Shopify store, BMB Creations NW, for her Bad Bunny merchandise ahead of Super Bowl weekend.

The Kent resident said her shirts and sweaters that feature the musician are a big hit with her customer base. Recently, they've made up the majority of her orders.

Elizalde-Lindgren, 38, launched her website in 2020 after initially pursuing crafting as a hobby. "It's definitely been an evolution and a labor of love," she said.

She serves customers from around the U.S., with a focus on custom and personalized gifts like shirts for family reunions and breast cancer fundraising walks.

For Elizalde-Lindgren, who was brought as a baby to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, this Sunday is a chance "to represent our Latin community through these huge events like the Super Bowl where you have an audience and you have a voice and you spread a message of positivity," she said.

Alondra Garcia, 25, has watched excitement build in the community about Bad Bunny's performance. "I've seen a lot of flyers that include Bad Bunny on there," she said in a phone interview.

Garcia highlighted one example: Bad Bunny Dance Night on Saturday at Capitol Hill nightclub Chop Suey.

Garcia, who lives in Everett, has listened to the performer's albums since her senior year of high school in 2018. Now, even her mom is enjoying songs off Bad Bunny's latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," she said.

Garcia plans to tune into the Super Bowl with her best friend at her side.

"She doesn't really watch football," Garcia said, "but she's there for Bad Bunny.

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