Bad Bunny and the Era of Destination Fandom

This month, Bad Bunny kicked off his 30-night residency, No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí, turning San Juan’s iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico into the epicenter of a global fan pilgrimage. Rather than launching a worldwide tour, he flipped the script and invited fans to come to the island that has long inspired his music. But he isn’t just performing – he’s turning Puerto Rico into a fully immersive experience: Restaurants are revamping menus. Tattoo parlors are flooded with Benito-inspired ink. Local shops are selling limited-edition merch.

He began building anticipation back in December when he dropped his latest album on Spotify by swapping the typical album tracklist with GPS coordinates. Fans had to use Google Earth and Street View to uncover song titles hidden in real locations: on murals in Río Piedras, logos on delivery trucks, and street signs across the island. It was an interactive trail of breadcrumbs that digitally pulled fans into Puerto Rico’s streets before they ever arrived in person.

It’s part of a larger trend happening: destination fandoms that are creating cultural ecosystems. Like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter homecoming for Dallas or Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for, well, everywhere.

This isn’t just tourism. It’s storytelling—and a new way for fans to immerse themselves in the worlds of their favorite artists, where the collective experience goes far beyond the music.