Super Bowl Halftime Show Trivia
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50 free Super Bowl Halftime Show trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
40 free Super Bowl halftime show trivia questions with answers. For its first 25 years the Super Bowl halftime show was marching bands and a wholesome troupe called Up with People. Then Fox counter-programmed it with In Living Color, the NFL panicked, and Michael Jackson stood motionless on stage for almost two minutes in 1993. Ratings went up during halftime for the first time ever, and the show has been the biggest concert on television since. This quiz covers 50 questions on the whole run: the marching-band era, the 1993 turning point, Diana Ross's helicopter, U2's September 11 tribute, the 2004 wardrobe malfunction and the decade of classic rock it caused, Prince asking for more rain, Beyoncé and the blackout, Left Shark, Lady Gaga's drones, the first all-hip-hop show, Rihanna's pregnancy reveal, Usher on roller skates, Kendrick Lamar's record 133.5 million viewers and Bad Bunny's Spanish-language set. Easy questions ask who headlined; hard ones ask how many drones Intel flew and how much The Weeknd spent of his own money. Every answer has been checked against the encyclopaedia entry for each show, and the source is shown under the question once you have answered. It works for a Super Bowl party round or a music quiz any time of year.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01During most of the Super Bowl's first decade, the halftime show featured what kind of act?
A college marching band
A college marching band was the norm: at the first game in 1967, the Arizona and Grambling bands shared the field with two jetpack pilots, 300 pigeons and 10,000 balloons.
Q 02Which wholesome troupe starred in four Super Bowl halftime shows between 1976 and 1986?
Up with People
Up with People headlined in 1976, 1980, 1982 and 1986 with hundreds of clean-cut young singers, and critics looking back now rank those shows among the worst ever.
Q 03Which Fox sketch comedy lured viewers away from the 1992 halftime show with a live episode?
In Living Color
In Living Color pulled about 22 million viewers to Fox during a figure-skating show called 'Winter Magic', and the NFL answered by booking a pop superstar the next year.
Q 04Whose 1993 halftime show was the first where Super Bowl TV ratings rose between the halves?
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was launched onto the stage and stood frozen for a full 90 seconds before moving, and the TV audience grew during halftime for the first time.
Q 05Which anthem did a Los Angeles children's choir sing in the 1993 halftime finale?
We Are the World
We Are the World came from the children's choir, who then joined the headliner for 'Heal the World' as a giant inflatable globe rose at midfield.
Q 06How did Diana Ross leave the field at the end of her 1996 halftime show in Tempe?
In a helicopter
In a helicopter: she called out 'Oh my, here comes my ride' as it landed on the field, then flew out of Sun Devil Stadium sitting in its open door.
Q 07The 2001 halftime show 'The Kings of Rock and Pop' was headlined by NSYNC and which rock band?
Aerosmith
Aerosmith traded hits with NSYNC before Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly joined for 'Walk This Way', in the first show to put fans on the field around the stage.
Q 08Which band's 2002 halftime show projected the names of the September 11 victims onto a giant scrim?
U2
U2 scrolled the names behind the stage while playing 'MLK' and 'Where the Streets Have No Name', and Bono ended by opening his jacket to show an American flag in the lining.
Q 09The 2003 halftime show in San Diego featured Shania Twain, Sting and which ska-pop band?
No Doubt
No Doubt tore through 'Just a Girl', with Gwen Stefani changing the line to 'I'm just a girl at the Super Bowl', and she then joined Sting for 'Message in a Bottle'.
Q 10What phrase did the 2004 Janet Jackson halftime incident give the dictionary?
Wardrobe malfunction
Wardrobe malfunction came from Justin Timberlake's written apology after the show, and the Chambers Dictionary added the phrase in 2008.
Q 11How much did the FCC fine CBS over the 2004 halftime incident, a penalty later voided on appeal?
$550,000
$550,000 was the penalty, but it did not stand: a federal appeals court threw it out twice, ruling the FCC had changed its indecency policy without warning.
Q 12A co-founder of which website has said the 2004 halftime incident helped inspire it?
YouTube
YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim said the struggle to find footage of the incident online, along with clips of the 2004 tsunami, gave him the idea for a video-sharing site.
Q 13After the 2004 halftime controversy, which veteran star did the NFL book for 2005 as a 'safe' choice?
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney played 'Drive My Car', 'Get Back', 'Live and Let Die' and 'Hey Jude' alone on an LED stage, with no guests and nothing to alarm the censors.
Q 21Katy Perry entered her 2015 halftime show riding what?
A golden mechanical lion
A golden mechanical lion carried her in as she opened, fittingly, with 'Roar'; Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott joined her later in the set.
Q 22'Left Shark' became famous at the 2015 halftime show for what?
Dancing offbeat and out of sync
Dancing offbeat and out of sync beside Katy Perry made the costumed dancer an instant meme, and her lawyers soon tried to trademark 'Left Shark'.
Q 23Which British band headlined the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars as guests?
Coldplay
Q 14The Rolling Stones' 2006 halftime stage in Detroit was built in the shape of what?
Their tongue-and-lips logo
Their tongue-and-lips logo became the stage, and the broadcast dialed down Mick Jagger's microphone on two lyrics the league judged too explicit.
Q 15Which university's marching band backed Prince at his rain-soaked 2007 Super Bowl halftime show in Miami?
Florida A&M
Florida A&M's Marching 100 joined him for 'Baby I'm a Star', and when producers warned Prince about the downpour he asked whether they could make it rain harder.
Q 16Which British band headlined the 2010 halftime show in Miami Gardens?
The Who
The Who opened with 'Pinball Wizard', then leaned on songs CBS viewers knew as TV themes: 'Who Are You', 'Won't Get Fooled Again' and 'Baba O'Riley' open the three main CSI series.
Q 17The Black Eyed Peas' 2011 halftime show featured Usher and which guest guitarist?
Slash
Slash rose from beneath the stage in a sequined top hat to play 'Sweet Child o' Mine' while Fergie sang the Axl Rose part.
Q 18Which Madonna 2012 halftime guest flipped off the camera, prompting an NFL claim that grew to eight figures?
M.I.A.
M.I.A. raised her middle finger during 'Give Me All Your Luvin'', the NFL and NBC apologised soon after the show, and the league's $1.5 million claim against her later swelled to $16.6 million.
Q 19Beyoncé's 2013 halftime show in New Orleans reunited her with which two former Destiny's Child bandmates?
Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams
Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams were launched up through the stage for 'Bootylicious', then stayed to sing 'Single Ladies', which was never a Destiny's Child song.
Q 20Which band guested at Bruno Mars's 2014 halftime show and later admitted their instruments were unplugged?
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea explained that the NFL required pre-recorded instruments with live vocals, so the band chose not to pretend by plugging in.
Coldplay were upstaged at their own show: reviewers agreed the night belonged to Beyoncé, who premiered 'Formation' before facing off with Bruno Mars to 'Uptown Funk'.
Q 24What formed an American flag in the night sky to open Lady Gaga's 2017 halftime show?
Drones
Drones, 300 of them from Intel, made the flag, but not live: the rooftop segment was taped days earlier because flying them over the stadium was restricted.
Q 25Prince's family let Justin Timberlake use his likeness at the 2018 halftime show on condition he avoided what?
A hologram
A hologram was ruled out: Prince had called performing with a hologram of another artist 'the most demonic thing imaginable', so Timberlake sang beside projected Purple Rain footage instead.
Q 26Which rapper agreed to join Maroon 5's 2019 halftime show only if the NFL backed a $500,000 social justice donation?
Travis Scott
Travis Scott had the NFL join him in giving $500,000 to Dream Corps, Van Jones's social justice group, after several stars reportedly refused the show in support of Colin Kaepernick.
Q 27The 2020 halftime show in Miami Gardens was co-headlined by Jennifer Lopez and which Colombian singer?
Shakira
Shakira's tongue-wagging at the camera became the night's meme; fans explained it as a zaghrouta, an Arabic expression of joy heard at weddings, and pointed to her Lebanese roots.
Q 28What covered the faces of The Weeknd's dancers at his 2021 halftime show?
Bandages
Bandages, a look from his After Hours era, wrapped every dancer's face; he also reportedly put $7 million of his own money into the production.
Q 29The Weeknd's 2021 halftime show drew 96.7 million TV viewers, slightly more than what?
The game itself
The game itself averaged 95.2 million on CBS, and even that was a second count: Nielsen first reported 91.6 million, then revised it after undercounting people watching away from home.
Q 30The 2022 halftime show in Los Angeles was the first built entirely around which genre?
Hip hop
Hip hop took over with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem ended 'Lose Yourself' by taking a knee, the protest Colin Kaepernick began on NFL sidelines.