All the hidden easter eggs in Beyoncé's NFL halftime show.

Beyoncé delivered an iconic production on Christmas Day, turning the NFL into her very own concert stage as she performed the halftime show at the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans.

Dubbed Beyoncé Bowl, the halftime show saw her performing songs from her Grammy nominated album Cowboy Carter, including '16 Carriages' and her own rendition of 'Jolene'. And the deafening roar of the crowd was truly wild when the singer was joined for 'Texas Hold 'Em' by her daughter, Blue Ivy.

Her husband, Jay-Z, was notably absent amid current controversies. After facing severe backlash for attending the Mufasa premiere with his wife and eldest daughter, it appeared Jay-Z chose not to detract from the long-awaited NFL performance.

Beyoncé performs at the NFL Christmas Gameday, with a show-stopping production. Image: Getty.

Bey's presence was the ultimate present for the Beyhive, who spent the hours following her show dissecting each outfit, scene and homage in the 12 minute performance.

And for their service, we say thank you! Because Beyoncé managed to pack a whole bunch of easter eggs and hidden details into her extravagant performance. Including a few that tease her upcoming album and mysterious documentary.

Not sure what we're talking about? Allow us to elaborate.

All the easter eggs in Beyoncé's NFL Halftime Show.

16 Carriages.

The opening act was pre-recorded, and saw Beyoncé performing '16 Carriages' from Cowboy Carter. Wearing an incredible Roberto Cavalli coat with a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, she rode a horse into the stadium as she belted out the lyrics.

As she sang the chorus, she passed 16 Cadillac cars in a nod to the carriages. Love!

Surprise cameos.

As she transitioned from '16 Carriages' into her cover of The Beatles' song 'Blackbird' there were a number of incredible visual references (more on that in a moment).

But it was also the first special cameo of the evening.

For 'Blackbird' Bey was joined by black country music artists, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts. The cameos didn't stop there.

The stars aligned for this beautiful performance of 'Blackbird'. Image: Netflix.

As she began the live portion, Bey was joined by 200 members of the Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul Marching Band — who added an incredible touch to the live music performance.

In tribute to Western and Rodeo culture, Beyoncé also included Mexican Cowgirl Melanie Rivera, bull-riding legend Myrtis Dightman, Jr. (known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo"), Miss Rodeo Texas Princess 2004 and Miss Rodeo Texas 2015 Nikki Woodward, and the first Black Rodeo Queen in Arkansas, Ja'Dayia Kursh.

Country singer Shaboozey joined Bey for a medley of their two songs, 'Riiverdance' and 'Sweet Honey Buckiin'. Then she moved on to a pickup truck, where Post Malone was waiting for her to perform their track, 'Levii's Jeans'.

The denim pickup truck.

In a not-so-subtle nod to their song, Post Malone and Beyoncé performed in front of a pickup truck that was completely covered in denim fabric. Talk about a statement look!

Bey and Post Malone… and their denim pickup truck. Image: Netflix.

Blue Ivy's incredible cameo.

While there was some serious star-power on the field, one particular appearance received the greatest applause: it was that of Blue Ivy Carter.

The stadium erupted with cheers as Blue joined her mum for the line-dance portion of 'Texas Hold 'Em' — before moving down to join the impressively in-sync mass of dancers on the field.

In one sweet moment, Bey made a lyric change and switched "spin me in the middle boy" to "spin me in the middle Blue" before skipping together in a circle. CUTE.

Fans later realised Blue had also been performing alongside the dancers on the bleachers for 'My House'. And, it was noticed that during 'Ya Ya', Blue was the only dancer mimicking Beyoncé, while the rest of the dancers performed a different routine.

Bey is passing on that legacy to Blue! And fans couldn't get enough.

Watch Blue Ivy perform Texas Hold Em. Story continues below.

All the historical references.

One thing about Beyoncé? She's going to make a reference. And, fortunately for us, the clever cookies in her fandom are sensational at finding out each and every one.

Fashion and pop culture brand Diet Prada shared a selection of references on their Instagram, with one fan commenting: "All I do is dance and scream, I have no idea of the nuances of her shows until the brilliant Black people of Twitter and TikTok get on their zooms and bring it to our attention."

As Cowboy Carter was a celebration of Black country music, the performance paid tribute to a number of images throughout history. There were fashio statements, as well as what seemed to be recreated imagery.

Her moving stages were designed as carriages, decorated with white flowers. It's believed this was a reference to early Juneteenth parades in Houston.

In one moment, her dancers were seen standing atop horses in an apparent recreation of this famous photo:

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A post shared by Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada)

Bang.

As the performance came to a close, Beyoncé was propelled into the skies by a floating stage floor. As she hit her final note of 'Texas Hold 'Em' she mimed shooting a gun, with an enormous banner unfurling from the floating stage that read 'Bang'.

It's been pointed out she's been doing the gun symbol throughout the promotional run for 'Cowboy Carter' — which makes a whole lot of sense since she's in her country vibe right now.

But some fans think this means she could be releasing the visuals for her 'Cowboy Carter' album, or announcing a tour for this album.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? We must know. Image: Getty.

Act III.

Of course, the greatest easter eggs hinted at what we all know to be coming our way: Act III.

Bey's current era of music is in three parts, with 'Renaissance' being Act I and 'Cowboy Carter' being Act II. And fans have figured out a number of clues in the performance that might hint at what we can expect.

In one promotional video for the halftime show, Beyoncé incorporated elements from Act 1 and Act 2. As one TikToker pointed out, she wore a sequined bodysuit for 'Renaissance' and held a banjo for 'Cowboy Carter' but was wearing a large black hat. They suggested the next album might be coming in 2026, following a two-year release schedule pattern so far.

Could she be hinting at a new era? Image: Netflix.

Another clue came courtesy of the iconic Beyoncé horse. 'Renaissance' famously featured a disco ball horse, while 'Cowboy Carter' featured a white horse.

In a new promotional video following the NFL performance, Beyoncé was seen atop her white horse waving an American flag. But as she lowered the flag, it disappeared completely. This visual, coupled with her repeatedly saying the phrase "look at that horse", has fans thinking we're exiting the 'Cowboy Carter' era and heading into another.

The video had a date attached, the 14th of January 2025. So, we'll need to keep an eye out for an announcement in Jan! But whether or not it's her new act, or her concert tour, remains to be seen.

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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

The Netflix announcement.

What we do know, is that Beyoncé's performance will be dropping on Netflix later this week as a standalone 'special' — which they've listed as a docuseries. Consider us sat!

Feature Image: Getty.