While the world is buzzing about Super Bowl 59, people are also buzzing about this year’s halftime show, which will feature Kendrick Lamar.
The five-time Grammy winner will perform with special guest SZA, and fans of both are looking forward to it.
How Long Will Halftime of the Super Bowl Be?
Most halftimes are traditionally 15 minutes long, but since this is the Super Bowl halftime, it will be 30 minutes long.
Although the performance itself may not be more than 14 to 15 minutes long, the set-up is why it will take 30 minutes.
“There are so many aspects of it, the dancers, the lighting elements, the special effects,” Dan Parise, a Roc Nation producer, told Reuters in 2020 via USA Today. “It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle.”
Back in 2012, head coach Bill Belichick stopped practice and made his players go back to the locker room for 30 minutes to prepare for halftime at the Super Bowl, adding in a pep talk to complete the training.
“It really gets into a whole restarting mentality,” Belichick said. “It’s not like taking a break and coming out in the second half. It’s like starting the game all over again. It’s like playing a game, stopping, and then playing a second game.”
The longest halftime performances were by Justin Timberlake, who went on for 14 minutes during his Super Bowl performance in 2018; Lady Gaga lasted 13.5 minutes, and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s show was a bit longer than 13 minutes.
What Time Will Halftime Start?
It is hard to say exactly when the Super Bowl halftime show will start. An NFL game is fluid, with things like penalties and the amount of scoring impacting how long a quarter might take. The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
However, there will likely be a ton of theatrics ahead of the official start of the game, so do not expect to see the opening kickoff at exactly 6:30. If the first half takes an average of 90 minutes, we could see artists take the stage around 8:00 p.m. ET.
However, depending on the setup required, the NFL might need to take more time to prepare the stage. The Super Bowl Halftime Show can last anywhere from 20-30 minutes long.
You also have to consider other stoppages during the game, like the lights going out, as they did in 2013, which took place in New Orleans when the Baltimore Ravens faced the San Francisco 49ers and lasted over 30 minutes.
Although it rarely happens, these types of events can expand the game and affect other aspects of it.