A Bad Bunny look-alike contest in San Francisco unexpectedly erupted into a vibrant street party, drawing hundreds of the global superstar’s fans to cheer on his impersonators and sing along to his music, ahead of his Super Bowl halftime show this weekend.
More than 30 contestants from across the Bay Area, including men with distinctive curly hair, women in wigs and fake facial hair, and even a kindergartener sporting a fedora, white tank top, and bow tie, vied for a $100 prize at a packed Mexican restaurant in the Mission neighbourhood.
They embodied the 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer through some of his signature looks, donning straw hats known as a "pava," traditionally worn by Puerto Rican farmers, or a shearling aviator hat, similar to one the artist has worn since the release of his 2025 album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (I should have taken more photos), which recently secured Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
Adam Fox, 24, and his friend Alejandro Kurt, 23, travelled from Belmont, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, after both men, with their curly dark hair and facial hair, were told they resembled Bad Bunny. Fox, an aspiring actor sporting a suit, bowtie, and dark sunglasses, expressed his admiration for Bad Bunny’s music despite not speaking Spanish. His music "is like art. You don’t have to totally understand it. It could just be something that’s beautiful," Fox said.
Contestants performed Bad Bunny’s signature "perreo," or twerking, and echoed his criticism of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, with one aspiring Bad Bunny in a wig and black tuxedo holding an "ICE Out" sign as she danced through the crowded Tacolicious restaurant to rapturous cheers.
Contestants walk down the runway at the Bad Bunny lookalike contest at Tacolicious in San Francisco.
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) February 6, 2026
🎥: Joy Jeong pic.twitter.com/NRvl8TMFAH
The artist’s music remained the focal point of the event, organised by Mission Loteria, a group promoting Latino businesses. The festivities spilled out onto the street, where a DJ played Bad Bunny’s most beloved tracks, and some attendees, dressed as the Puerto Rican crested toad – an endangered species featured in one of his music videos – danced alongside the contestants.
Pamela Guo, 33, journeyed from San Jose to compete, dressed in an aviator hat, shorts, and an athletic jacket. Guo, who had a painted-on beard, revealed her deep fandom, having travelled to Mexico City to see him in concert.
"I love to perrear and dance, so I do love that aspect of his music," she stated, adding that his latest album features deeper lyrics that resonate with her by addressing shared humanity.
The grand prize was awarded to Abdul Ramirez Arroyave, a professional Bad Bunny impersonator from Colombia, who was dressed in a red shirt and a straw hat atop a tight curly hair wig.
When asked for a few words after his win, he simply said "thanks for everything" before breaking into song, with the crowd joining him in a rendition of Bad Bunny’s "Debi tirar mas fotos." Ramirez Arroyave then joined the street party, taking photos with his newfound admirers.
