Wards Corner's pre-concert casita 
Just ten minutes walk from the stadium, the Bad Bunny celebration had already started at the Seven Sisters Market in Wards Corner, also known as the ‘Latin Village’, it just wasn’t in the stadium yet. With its own built in casita adorned with flowers and (now bizarrely iconic) white plastic chairs, fans had the chance to eat, drink and dance, soak up the Latin vibes and learn about London's Latin  community, before making their way to the stadium. 

Lauren, from Brighton, who goes to Salsa classes and learns Spanish on Duolingo explained that she had found out about the pre-concert ‘casita’ on social media and said, “I’ve never been to Seven Sisters before, who knows? It might be my new place!”

Notable community leaders were present, including Patria Román-Velázquez (Founder of Latin Elephant) who proudly wore her Puerto Rican pin badge, as well as Jose Luis, one of London’s most influential Latin DJs and promoters.

Others, like Ecuadorian-Londoner, Alejandro and his Colombian boyfriend, Ryan, wearing traditional pava straw hats (kitted out with flags to represent their heritage), took selfies on the two white plastic chairs to commemorate such a celebratory day. "This day fills us with  pride”, they said, having spent the earlier part of the day at Clapham Pride. 

Walking from Wards Corner to the stadium, there was an air of belonging and solidarity, as local businesses, many of which are Latin-owned, offered the crowds much needed-energy, in the form of arepas, whilst fans dressed in DTMF-inspired outfits, paraded down the Tottenham High Street singing together, waving Latin American flags.

The story begins...
Each Bad Bunny concert on the DTMF tour starts with its own bespoke introductory film featuring local people. For London, it was Ecuadorian-Londoner Yita - the Founder of Casa Chisme, a mult-disciplinary creative house in London, and her boyfriend.

Chatting with Yita, she tells me that a friend had shown her the casting call, but they didn’t disclose what the video was for. She says, “I applied with my boyfriend, I sent some pictures of us and they asked us to send a tape of basically what you see on the screen. I had a gut feeling that it was for Don Benito himself”.

“When they made us sign the NDA and we saw the script, that was the first time we knew it was actually for Bad Bunny, and obviously, I lost my mind!”

What was even more surreal for Yita was that the video was shot in Pepys Estate (South East London), where she first moved to from Spain when she was 12 years old. She says, “It just felt really crazy that that’s where I was shooting this for such a big artist who is doing so much for our community. The producer also told us that we were chosen by Bad Bunny himself!”.

As the video came to an end, Bad Bunny rose up to the stage, took a deep breath and his voice rang out: “"¡Un aplauso pa' mami y papi!", and 50,000 fans were invited to celebrate the start of the show and also the familial warmth that underpins the whole DTMF era.

Act I - Heritage and identity 
The evening unfolded in distinct chapters, the first of which was an elegant celebration of Puerto Rican identity. Bad Bunny opened this act with hits such as, LA MuDANZA, Baile Inolvidable and WELTiTA, setting a tone that was as much about identity and heritage as it was about music.

As an ode to Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny invited CHUWI back to the stage for ‘WELTiTA’. During the song, snippets of the island were displayed on the screens and Bad Bunny proudly exclaimed, “Desde Puerto Rico, CHUWI!”.

From Puerto Rican pride to wider Latin American solidarity, on the first night, Bad Bunny sent a message of hope to Venezuela: “A nuestros hermanos y a nuestras hermanas de Venezuela…estamos en sintonía y solidaridad con ustedes”. Recognising his multifaceted, transnational position, he said, “de parte de un turista en Londres con el alma en Puerto Rico y el corazón hoy con ustedes en Venezuela”

Showcasing the striking blends of cultures in this act, cuatro player, Jose Eduardo, unexpectedly led the crowd through ‘Hey Jude’ (night one) and ‘Wonderwall’ (night two) on the traditional Puerto Rican instrument, while sporting a culturally important pava hat. These moments blended Puerto Rican musical tradition with two beloved British anthems.  

The first act came to a close in an iconic moment between the beloved frog mascot, Concho, and the audience. Concho lit up the screens on a backdrop of Tower Bridge, teaching the crowd Puerto Rican slang, talking about fish and chips, and even congratulating England on their win at the football on Saturday night!  

Act II - La casita
After laying the foundations of the show's cultural narrative, the atmosphere shifted gears as the audience was invited to experience a houseparty at Bad Bunny’s pink casita. 

Inside the casita, Bad Bunny mingled with guests from the audience as well as well-known figures, such as Joe Jonas and Novak Djokovic (night one) and Salma Hayek (night two). Wearing his adidas sports wear and sipping out of a red plastic cup, in this reggaeton-heavy part of the show, Bad Bunny raises the roof, quite literally, as he performs energetic hits such as ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ and ‘Safaera’ from the roof of the casita.

Act III - Reflection, intimacy and nostalgia  
When the house party came to an end, Bad Bunny welcomed the audience back to the main stage for the final stretch of the show to perform DTMF hits such as ‘EoO’, as well as more emotional songs, including ‘La Canción’ and ‘Ojitos Lindos’, which were accompanied by fans swaying, waving their hands in the air, and even shedding tears.

At the start of the second night’s performance, Bad Bunny warned the audience that the second night is often better than the first, and indeed, it was. The energy was both electrifying, but also relaxed, and Bad Bunny gave the audience an absolute treat when he brought out British artist, Damon Albarn, at the piano for a duet of the Gorillaz’ hit ‘Clint Eastwood’. 

As Bad Bunny’s Spanish rapping weaved into the stripped-back piano version of the well-known song, the duet acted as an emotional bridge, transitioning the stadium from celebration to reflection before the show's powerful ending. The much-anticipated performance of Debí Tirar Más Fotos was the emotional culmination of the evening. As the lights of thousands of camera lanyards flickered across the stadium, the crowd swayed, sang and embraced one another, while fireworks illuminated the night sky overhead.

Stories beyond the stage
The growth of Latin music across the globe is creating spaces where people feel seen, connected and represented, and the impact on fans and communities is immeasurable. 

For Sergio, an Ecuadorian owner of the London-based clothing brand ‘ParaNos’, the weekend represented something far greater than a concert. Surrounded by fans draped in flags from across Latin America, he reflected on the unique atmosphere the shows had created.

"Everybody is coming from different places and this is just next to my house," he said. "Bad Bunny is bringing all the Latino community together. It's not just the Latinos, it's the British people as well. The flags from all the different countries here today bring us all together to celebrate and dance."

Having attended one of Bad Bunny's intimate London shows in Kentish Town in 2018, Sergio had witnessed the artist's remarkable rise firsthand. "There were just a few hundred people," he recalled, contrasting those early performances with two sold-out stadium shows that drew fans from across the world.

Maria had travelled from Paris after spending a decade hoping to see Bad Bunny live. Unable to secure tickets elsewhere, London became the city where that long-awaited dream finally became a reality.

Rachel had made the journey from New York. As the daughter of a Chilean mother and Paraguayan father, she described Bad Bunny as "a global treasure", adding that, "his music hits your soul."

Then there was Julia from Texas. Sipping a RedBull after the show, she explained that she had landed in London that morning, checked into her accommodation and headed straight to the show. With London Pride just days away, she reflected on the similarities between the two events: "He brings so many walks of life together," she said. "No matter your nationality, whether you are gay or straight, everybody came together in that stadium."

Among the tens of thousands in attendance was Chelsea, who had travelled from New York. The daughter of two Puerto Rican parents, she carried with her something far more precious than a concert ticket: her father's ashes.

"I even brought my father's ashes with me because he never travelled the world," she told me. "When I heard DtMF, I was crying. I looked up to the sky and said, 'I miss you, papa.' To me, it represents more than just him being a great artist."

In that moment, it became clear that Debí Tirar Más Fotos had transcended the boundaries of a stadium concert. For many, it was a celebration of home, family and memory - a reminder of the people who shape us, those who travel beside us, and those we carry with us wherever we go.

The true impact of the weekend cannot be measured solely in attendance figures, but in the memories, pride and sense of belonging it inspired. I write this as my DTMF camera lanyard continues to flash, and remind me to appreciate the small moments, because as Bad Bunny said on the weekend, those small moments are actually “gigantes”.

Gracias, Benito.