Super Bowl 50: Beyonce, Coldplay, Bruno Mars face a global audience in half-time show

As more than 100 million viewers around the US and worldwide brace themselves for the NFL's Super Bowl 2016 half-time show, social media was abuzz with excitement. British band Coldplay and their special guests Beyoncé and Bruno Mars will entertain the masses at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in celebration of the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary.

The stars themselves, who are set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Michael Jackson, U2 and Prince to perform before a global audience, were taking it all in their stride.

Dressed in a glittering red trouser suit, Lady Gaga delivered a flawless rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, hitting all the high notes to the delight of the crowd.

Earlier she posted a picture of herself in bed relaxing with her dogs before the big event. Writing on Twitter she said: "I'm honored to sing for the finest athletes, coaches & fans in the USA #SB50 @NFL Sun. by the dawns early light.."

While Katy Perry currently holds the title of the biggest watching audience with 118.5 million viewers tuning in to watch her medley on 1 February 2015, this years line-up of stars is set to eclipse even that figure.

Beyoncé's performance is of course eagerly anticipated with the star expected to use the high profile event to make a statement, as she performs her brand new politically-charged single Formation, which hit the web on Saturday.

The song, which contains explicit lyrics referencing racism and violence, made waves online for its lyrical content as well as an appearance from four-year-old Blue Ivy, Beyoncé's daughter with husband Jay-Z.

Meanwhile Coldplay frontman Chris Martin shared his excitement as the main act to perform before a global audience, as he posted an image of himself running across the pitch during rehearsals for their big performance. "24 hours to go (and there will be rather more people watching this time). #SB50 #PepsiHalftime," he wrote.

Even former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was getting in on the Super Bowl action showing her support for the Panthers with two ornate pins adorning her jacket. "Fingers crossed that my hometown @Broncos trample the @Panthers this #SuperBowlSunday! #tweetmypins," she tweeted.

In The White House too, the President and the First Lady were struck by Super Bowl fever, as were the dogs Bo and Sunny who were snapped wearing football shirts.

Madonna who will be featured in the Pepsi advert during the halftime show, turned to Twitter to remind fans not to miss the spectacle.

The Carolina Panthers are the odds-on favourites to claim the Vince Lombardi trophy for the first time in their history, after a 15-1 regular season record season that ties for the best in the history of the NFC.

But with the Broncos, chasing a third Super Bowl win it could be anyone's game. Meanwhile, in the build-up towards the big event Superbowl fans were getting creative on social media.

Follow all the Super Bowl action on IBTimes UK's live blog .