METALLICA To Be Honored At 2026 'Red Cross Gala'

METALLICA will be honored at the 2026 Red Cross Gala, an annual volunteer-led, black-tie benefit that raises support for Red Cross preparedness, response and recovery programs in our community. Now celebrating its 31st year, the 2026 event — set to take place on Saturday, March 21, 2026 — promises to be a special evening honoring the past and looking to the future from San Francisco's newest premier venue, The Conservatory at One Sansome.

METALLICA and the band's foundation All Within My Hands have become transformative partners to the American Red Cross, inspiring thousands of fans nationwide to roll up their sleeves and donate lifesaving blood. Through large-scale initiatives like the Red Cross × Metallica blood drive series — which surpassed 1,000 donations in its first month — and the Give Where You Live campaign, they have mobilized both longtime and first‑time donors across the country. Their commitment to strengthening communities is further reflected in AWMH's longstanding support of disaster relief efforts, funding responses to wildfires, hurricanes, and other crises.

METALLICA commented: "We're beyond honored to be named the Visionary Partner of the Year at this year's Red Cross Gala in San Francisco!

"Giving back as a united, engaged community has always been at the core of All Within My Hands, and working alongside the Red Cross has shown us just how powerful that can be.

"From last year's fan-fueled Red Cross × Metallica blood drive series — which blew us away by hitting more than 1,000 donations in its first month — to years of teaming up on disaster relief, we've seen firsthand how acts of kindness can save lives.

"Thank you to the Red Cross for this incredible recognition, and thank you to the #MetallicaFamily, who prove every day that doing good is something we all can amplify. Seeing fans, volunteers, and entire communities show up again and again shows just how much this work matters."

A series of Metallica x American Red Cross blood drives began in April 2025 during the U.S. leg of the band's "M72" world tour. That initial partnership resulted in over 2,000 blood and platelet donations, with the METALLICA family continuing the lifesaving mission through the Give Where You Live campaign.

Formed in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich and including guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, selling nearly 125 million albums worldwide and generating more than 17 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents — more than 1.3 million of whom belong to the band's fiercely loyal and consistently growing Fifth Member fan club. METALLICA's catalog of multi-platinum studio albums includes "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "…And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album),"Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic", "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct" and, most recently, the Grammy-winning "72 Seasons", released April 14, 2023, on the band's own Blackened Recordings label. METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, a 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Sweden's Polar Music Prize. In 2017, METALLICA established its own charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, to give back to communities that have supported the band.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission.

Just one donation can save up to three lives and helps people living with cancer and immune deficiencies, new mothers, trauma patients and people undergoing surgery.