How Long is Halftime at the Super Bowl?

Halftime normally lasts between 12 and 15 minutes during a regular NFL game, but the Super Bowl's break is much longer.

Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Halftime normally lasts between 12 and 15 minutes during a regular NFL game, but the Super Bowl's break is much longer due to the broadcast's elaborate halftime show.

Super Bowl halftime usually lasts anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, which can be more than twice as long as the traditional break time during regular season games.

The longer halftime accommodates for lengthy Super Bowl halftime shows. Justin Timberlake spent almost 14 minutes performing during the 2018 Super Bowl halftime show, getting parts of 11 songs in after the stage was set on the field in Minneapolis.

Lady Gaga, the 2017 performer, went on for 13 and a half minutes, while Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars finished in just over 13 minutes the year before.

The extended halftime means that players and coaches have much more time in the locker room to prepare and reset for the second half of the season's biggest game during the performances, but the period of rest is much longer than what most players are accustomed to.

Some teams actually practice for the lengthy break, like the Patriots in 2012. On the Wednesday before the game, 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 then. “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.”

Maroon 5 is headlining this year's Super Bowl halftime show in Atlanta, with rappers Travis Scott and Atlanta native Big Boi also joining the band in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday. 

The Patriots and the Rams will meet at Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.