Bad Bunny Look-Alike Contest in San Francisco Transforms into Street Celebration
A Bad Bunny look-alike contest at a San Francisco restaurant unexpectedly grew into a full-scale street party after hundreds of devoted fans of the global superstar arrived to cheer on his doppelgangers and sing along to his music. The lively event took place just ahead of Bad Bunny's highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show performance this weekend.
Contestants Channel the Puerto Rican Superstar
More than thirty contestants from across the Bay Area competed for a one-hundred-dollar prize at a packed Mexican restaurant in the Mission neighborhood. Participants included men with tight curly hair, women wearing wigs and fake facial hair, and even a kindergartener dressed in a fedora, white tank top, and bow tie.
They embodied the thirty-one-year-old Puerto Rican singer through his signature styles, wearing traditional straw hats known as "pava"—historically worn by Puerto Rican farmers—or shearling aviator hats similar to those the artist has sported since releasing his 2025 album, "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," which translates to "I should have taken more photos." This album recently won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Fans Travel from Across the Region
Adam Fox, twenty-four, and his friend Alejandro Kurt, twenty-three, traveled from Belmont, a city approximately twenty-five miles south of San Francisco, after both men—with curly dark hair and dark facial hair—were frequently told they resemble Bad Bunny.
Fox, an aspiring actor who wore 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 remarked.
Music and Message Take Center Stage
The contestants enthusiastically imitated Bad Bunny's "perreo," or twerking, and echoed his criticism of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. One participant in a wig and black tuxedo held an "ICE Out" sign while dancing through the crowded Tacolicious restaurant, receiving roaring cheers from the audience.
Organized by Mission Loteria, a group dedicated to promoting Latino businesses, the contest kept Bad Bunny's music at its heart. The celebration spilled out onto the street, where a DJ played the artist's most beloved tracks. Some attendees, dressed in costumes resembling the endangered Puerto Rican crested toad—featured in one of his music videos—danced alongside the contestants.
Dedicated Fans Share Their Passion
Pamela Guo, thirty-three, traveled from San Jose to compete, wearing an aviator hat, shorts, and an athletic jacket, complete with a painted-on beard. Guo, such an ardent fan that she once traveled to Mexico City to see Bad Bunny in concert, explained her connection to his music. "I love to perrear and dance, so I do love that aspect of his music," she said, adding that his latest album resonates deeply with her due to its lyrics about shared humanity.
Grand Prize Winner Crowned
The grand prize was awarded to Abdul Ramirez Arroyave, a professional Bad Bunny impersonator from Colombia, who wore a red shirt and straw hat over a tight curly hair wig. Upon winning, he simply said, "thanks for everything," before breaking into song with the crowd, who joined him in singing Bad Bunny's "Debi tirar mas fotos." Ramirez Arroyave then continued the festivities outside, taking photographs with his new adoring fans.
