Mr. Worldwide is making a pit stop in Gainesville at the beginning of October.
Accent Speakers Bureau has partnered with Hispanic Heritage Month to bring Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull, to the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 2, said Gregory Wolf, the chairman of Accent Speakers Bureau.
UF is paying Pitbull $130,000 plus travel expenses for his appearance, according to the contract.
Pitbull will participate in a one-hour Q&A session moderated by Ted Spiker, the chair of the journalism department, followed by a 15-minute opportunity for students to ask questions.
“He’s used his position, his stature in society, to do a lot of good for a lot of people, and we wanted to give him a platform to speak,” Wolf said.
Doors will open at 7:05 p.m., and the show will start at 7:45 p.m., Wolf said.
Students can pick up two free tickets with their Gator 1 Card Sept. 28 and Oct. 1 in the Student Government suite in the Reitz Union, he said. Students can do so between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. according to Accent’s Facebook page.
Sydney Patterson, an 18-year-old UF international studies freshman, was first introduced to his music by her host sister when she studied abroad in Spain in Spring 2016. She has hoped to see him live ever since, she said.
“I just would like to hear a glimpse into his life,” she said. “What is it like to wake up and live the life of Pitbull?”
Contact Jessica Giles at jgiles@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jessica_giles_
Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull will speak at UF on Oct. 2 for an ACCENT Speakers Bureau for Hispanic Heritage Month. Free student tickets are available for pick up on Sept. 28 and Oct. 2.
