Here's What Time You Can Probably Expect The Super Bowl Halftime Show To Start

It's the most wonderful time of the year for sports fans as their favorite holiday is quickly approaching. Super Bowl LIII is on Sunday, Feb. 3, and all across the country, fans will be tuning in to see two-time defending champions the New England Patriots compete against the Los Angeles Rams at the Merceds-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. The big game starts for football fans at 6:30 p.m. ET, but what about folks who are more excited to seeing Maroon 5 perform in the halftime show than the score of the game? Those who just watch the Super Bowl for the music are wondering what time the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show starts.

It's tough to say exactly what time the show will start, since no one can predict how the game will go and when it'll reach its halfway point. But, we can make some estimates. The Super Bowl is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., but that doesn't mean the game starts right away. The pregame program will begin at 6:30 p.m., starting with Atlanta native Gladys Knight singing the National Anthem in her hometown. The game will mostly likely start around 7 p.m., which means the halftime show will probably begin about an hour and a half into airtime at 8:30 p.m. That's when fans can expect to see Maroon 5 take the stage. And get excited, the band teased their halftime show performance last week:

Headliners Maroon 5 will be joined by Travis Scott and Big Boi. The decision to participate in the Super Bowl by performing was met with a bit of controversy since the NFL is currently embroiled in a legal battle with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has not played football since his #TakeAKnee protests in 2017. Other artists, including Rihanna, allegedly turned down the haltime show gig, and a petition was signed by almost 50,000 people urging Maroon 5 to turn down the gig as well to show solidarity with Kaepernick.

Maroon 5 will be in the halftime show, but the band announced that along with their performance, they'll also join the NFL and Interscope Records in making a $500,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. In a statement to People, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine said:

Playing the Super Bowl has been a dream of our band for a long time. We thank the NFL for the opportunity and also to them, along with Interscope Records, for making this donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, which will have a major impact for children across the country.

Maroon 5 is following the lead of Travis Scott, who revealed a couple weeks ago that he agreed to perform in the halftime show on the condition that the NFL would join him in making a donation of $500,000 to Dream Corps. The NFL seems committed to helping facilitate positive change, while also bringing football fans a memorable halftime show.

You can catch the Super Bowl LIII halftime show on Sunday, Feb. 3 on CBS.