Beyoncé brought the ultimate holiday gift to fans this Christmas, turning the NFL Christmas Halftime Show into a dazzling “Cowboy Carter” celebration. The superstar delivered a stunning performance during halftime of the Texans vs. Ravens game in her hometown of Houston, Texas. This marked the first live showcase of tracks from her 2024 hit album Cowboy Carter.
The show opened with Beyoncé making a grand entrance on horseback, singing her fan-favorite song “16 Carriages.” She then dismounted amidst a backdrop of classic cars to perform a soulful cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” joined by country artists Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts, who collaborated with her on the track.
The surprises didn’t stop there. Post Malone made an unexpected appearance to perform their duet “Levii’s Jeans,” right after Beyoncé’s collaboration with country singer Shaboozey. Supported by a full marching band, Beyoncé also performed “Ya Ya” and brought her daughter, Blue Ivy, onto the field. Blue Ivy danced alongside her mother during an energetic rendition of “Texas Hold ’Em.”
“Merry Christmas, and God bless y’all,” Beyoncé declared at the end of her set, as she was lifted high above the field on a glowing white platform.
This wasn’t Beyoncé’s first time dazzling NFL audiences. The Grammy-winning artist headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2013 and shared the stage with Coldplay and Bruno Mars during the 2016 Super Bowl.
Her connection to NFL events grew even stronger when she used a 2024 Super Bowl ad to announce Cowboy Carter, the highly anticipated follow-up to her 2023 album Renaissance. Released in March, Cowboy Carter has already earned 11 Grammy nominations.
To tease this week’s performance, Beyoncé shared a playful video on Tuesday. The clip showed her stopping a rolling football with her signature sky-high heels and strumming a banjo to her hit “Texas Hold ’Em.” At one point, the video mimicked a buffering error, complete with a spinning red circle over Beyoncé’s nose—a humorous nod to Netflix’s past livestream glitches. After the faux interruption, Beyoncé laughed and winked at the camera.
Netflix, which streamed the Texans-Ravens game and the earlier Chiefs-Steelers game on Christmas Day, had optimized its systems to ensure smooth streaming for the large expected viewership.
Mariah Carey, famously dubbed the “Queen of Christmas,” also made an appearance during Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL programming. Her pre-recorded performance of the iconic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was streamed before both games. Celebrating the song’s 30th anniversary, Carey sang atop a Los Angeles rooftop surrounded by dancers, children in festive costumes, and an enchanting faux snowfall.
Beyoncé’s halftime spectacle solidified her place as a holiday icon, delivering a show that fans won’t soon forget.
