70000Tons of Metal festival has been taking place in Miami, Florida. Over the years, the festival has brought together major bands at sea, such as Helloween , Kamelot , Sabaton , Sepultura , and, more recently, Blind Guardian and Epica .
In 2026, the cruise departs from Miami on January 29th and travels to Labadee, Haiti, ending its journey on February 2nd. The official lineup has not yet been released, but the experience, as in previous editions, promises to be memorable and may include the reunion of "a very large metal band," yet to be named, which is reportedly negotiating its participation.
In a conversation with Wikimetal , the CEO and founder of 70000Tons of Metal , Andy Piller , spoke about the pride of having people from all over the world on board the same ship for the sole purpose of sharing their love for heavy metal and expressed his desire to bring people from more and more places to the event – especially from Brazil.
“We’ve always called the 70000Tons de Metal ‘the world’s biggest heavy metal cruise’ and ‘the United Nations of heavy metal at sea’,” he comments. “This year, we reached a new record: 81 nations on board. That’s what makes me most proud. Bringing people from all over the world, regardless of their background, passport color, or skin color. People who come from countries that are at war with each other right now. These people come together for the same reason, for the love of heavy metal. That’s something very special.”
Those who decide to embark on this adventure of spending 5 days at sea enjoying heavy metal end up having the chance to experience something even more memorable: direct interaction with their music idols.
This closer contact is possible due to the festival's integration policy. The cruise doesn't have VIP areas or backstage access; fans and artists mingle and develop relationships with each other. “You hear stories like, 'Yesterday I was waiting for the elevator and when the door opened, Nergal from Behemoth was there,'” says Andy. “The other day a guy told me, 'I was watching the show in the jacuzzi and Joakim [ Brodén ] from Sabaton was in the jacuzzi next to me.' Where else in the world can you sit in the jacuzzi and watch Sepultura play?”
In addition to the interest in attracting more Brazilian crew members, the 70000Tons of Metal has already hosted several bands that are part of our national pride, such as Sepultura , Nervosa , and Crypta , playing an important role even in the continued presence of one of our main groups: Angra .
“I have a special relationship with Angra that goes back almost 30 years,” says Andy Piller. “Many years ago the band almost broke up because they didn’t have a vocalist, and I really wanted them to get on board, so I said I knew Fabio Lione and that I thought he would be a good fit for them. So it was through a slight influence of mine that Fabio became Angra’s vocalist. 70000 Tons of Metal 70000 Tons of Metal ’s history ”
It's part of the CEO and founder's plans to bring the cruise to other countries, such as Brazil. For now, however, those who want the unmissable chance to mingle with big names in heavy metal can 70000Tons of Metal website . More information about prices and the 2026 lineup should be released soon.
