70000 Tons of Metal (officially stylized as 70000TONS OF METAL) is an annual heavy metal music festival that takes place on board a cruise ship. The event is a five-day festival, including one shore day at a select Caribbean destination.
The first 70000 Tons of Metal was held in 2011, and until 2014, 70000 Tons of Metal took place on board the cruise liner Majesty of the Seas. In 2015, the festival moved to the cruise liner Liberty of the Seas and then to Independence of the Seas in 2016. From 2011 to 2014 and again in 2023 and 2024 the festival took place between Monday and Friday, from Thursday to Monday in 2015 to 2019, and Tuesday to Saturday in 2020. From 2011 to 2014, the cruise departed from PortMiami in Miami, Florida. For the years 2015 to 2020 it departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, returning to Miami in 2023 after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cruise sails to varying Caribbean tourist destinations and back. On each voyage, from 2011 to 2014 there were 40+ metal bands on board, each performing twice. From 2015 onward, there have been 60+ bands from different metal genres performing on board, also each performing twice. (With the exception of Swallow the Sun performing three shows on board in 2018.) Since 2011, there have been between 3500 and 5500 people on board each year, including the ship’s crew.
In August 2011, the organizers of 70000 Tons of Metal announced an additional festival on a cruise ship, named “Barge to Hell”, scheduled for December 3 to 7, 2012. Unlike the 70000 Tons of Metal cruises, Barge to Hell was only booked to approximately 60% capacity. The route went from Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas. The musical focus was on extreme metal genres like thrash, death and black metal.
Swiss concert promoter Andy Piller is the initiator and organizer of 70000 Tons of Metal. As a young adult, he began to organize concerts in his hometown of Flums, Switzerland, which later became his profession. Piller had the idea to hold a metal festival on a ship in 2006, when he observed passing cruise ships from his balcony. In the approximately four-year preparatory phase Piller went on several regular cruises, found investors who supported the project with grants in the millions and founded the company Ultimate Music Cruises, of which he is managing director (CEO).
There was a rumor in 2010 that 70000 Tons of Metal was planned to take place only once. Piller responded that “[he had] not invested four years to make this a one-time-thing” and that “there will be a next edition and almost certainly many more afterwards.”
Up to 60 bands from all genres of heavy metal perform at each edition of the festival. The main stage on the Majesty of the Seas was situated in the ship’s theater “A Chorus Line” on Decks 5–7. On Deck 8 there was a smaller stage in the “Spectrum” lounge and on Deck 12 there was the open air “Pool Deck stage”. For the Pool Deck stage, a separate pool was drained and covered to make room for the audience. Since 2012, the Pool Deck stage has become much larger and more professional. Since 2015, the festival has had four stages: the pool deck stage, a stage in the ship’s main theater, the Ice Rink “Studio B” stage, and the smallest location, the ship’s show-lounge.
